Anything for You
by snooperj
Summary: Tenimyu. TakigawaxKimeru, ShirotaxAiba, WatanabexFurukawa. Three Perfect Pairs from the world of Tenimyu and their adventures going through life as a couple. All starting from a Dream Live for both 1st and 2nd cast entitled Dream Live 3 1/2.
1. Dream Live 3 12

**Title:** Anything for You

**Author/Artist:** snooperj & Bloodysamurai

**Series/Pairing(s):** TeniMyu; Mainly Takigawa Eiji x Kimeru & Shirota Yuu x Aiba Hiroki

**Notes:** I've divided it into chapters, and here is the 1st chapter entitled **Dream Live 3 1/2**. This chapter introduces us to our main protagonists during rehearsals and setting up for DL 3/12, and covers two particular dates on the timeline - April 20 and May 3, 2006. I'll post the others once I'm done fixing it up. There are supposed to be footnotes for the Japanese terms, but I would be assuming you lot would understand them, seeing as they're just the common phrases we often hear. :) Enjoy!

**ALSO! None of the authors of this roleplay/fanfic own TeniMyu or the actors, but are mere fangirls of the musical series and corresponding actors we write about. Everything that progresses in the story is the creation of our witty imaginations.

* * *

+++April 20, 2006+++

Aiba Hiroki, the second cast Fuji, walked toward the dressing room; they were going to practice the newest Dream Live where both first cast and second cast of Seigaku would be there.

"I don't think I'm the first one-"

"Aibacchin?" a voice said and Aiba turned around to greet the person behind him.

"Kimeru-senpai! Ohayou! I thought you would be coming in with Taki-senpai today," he assumed.

Kimeru, the first cast Fuji, shook his head. "Nah, Taki had a meeting with Ueshima-sensei last night and told me to go on ahead."

Aiba chuckled. "So your date was off?" he asked cheerfully.

Kimeru walked past him, into the dressing room. "I don't know what you mean, Aiba," he said off-handedly.

Aiba fought down his laughter as he followed. _'The date was off, indeed,'_ he thought.

"And how about your night with Shirotan?" Kimeru asked slyly, successfully killing the younger Fuji actor's laughter.

"I don't know what you mean, senpai," Aiba said hurriedly as he went to look at himself in front of the mirror with his name on it.

Kimeru chuckled in victory. "It's way too early to defeat me, Aibacchin," he said in a Fuji-ish way.

-break-

Takigawa Eiji, the first cast Tezuka, excused himself from Ueshima-sensei's room before heading for the dressing room.

_'It's going to be an exciting experience working with the Seigaku second cast,'_ he thought.

Upon arriving, he saw that both Kimeru and Aiba were already there, nodding over to them. "Seems you two are the earliest to arrive," he observed, looking around before moving to his assigned locker.

Aiba smiled mischievously. "Yes, senpai. I'm early because I didn't spend the whole night thinking about..._things_..." he said as he grabbed his prop racket. "I'll be at the rehearsal stage," he said with a smile and a bow towards the two. "So that you can have some alone time," he added quietly as he passed Kimeru.

Kimeru glared at him but smiled instantaneously as he faced Takigawa. "So what's the plan today?" he asked with a cheerful tone.

Takigawa eyed Aiba's exit before he turned to Kimeru upon hearing his inquiry. Clearing his throat, he replied, "Ueshima-sensei's asked me to head the practice today. Draw out any new ideas for this Dream Live from everybody." He paused and picked up two rackets from the basket and handed one to Kimeru. "Ikkou?"

-break-

Shirota Yuu, the second cast Tezuka, was already in the rehearsal area with Yanagi Kotaro, one of the two Echizens through the two casts, discussing their old routines, both with a prop racket in hand.

Aiba reached the rehearsal area and waved at the two. "Shirotan! Yanagi-kun!" he called out as he went towards them.

Shirota was just recounting their routine from Dream Live 3rd before he heard Aiba. "Ah, Aibacchin!" he called.

"Juus!" Yanagi greeted in character.

Aiba chuckled. "In character already, Yanagi-kun?" Aiba teased as he sat down near the prop Ponta machine. "Where are the others?" he asked.

Shirota checked his cell phone. "We're pretty early. The call time was at 10 o'clock, and we still have 20 minutes at most to wait," he replied, slipping his phone back into his pocket. –

-break-

Kimeru took the racket but sat back down. "In a while...that Aiba kid can really get to your nerves..." he answered as he took a swig of water from the water jug he brought along.

Takigawa took a seat beside him. "Don't mind it." He turned to the door to see Aoyama Sota, the first cast Inui, approaching. "Ah, Aoyama-kun," Takigawa greeted.

"Takigawa-kun. Kimeru-kun," he greeted in return, moving to retrieve his prop Inui glasses and slipped them on.

"Anxious to get started?" Takigawa inquired.

Aoyama adjusted his glasses in the Inui manner. "Atarimai da."

-break-

Yanagi turned to Aiba. "Did you bump into somebody before coming here, Aibacchin?"

Aiba tilted his head to the side in thought. "Just Kimeru-senpai," he answered.

"And you managed to get on his nerves again didn't you?"

"Mah~ That's not a good thing, Aibacchin..."

Aiba looked up and saw two people enter the area. "Nagayama-senpai! Tuti-senpai!" he said as the first cast golden pair, comprised of Nagayama Takashi and Tsuchiya 'Tuti' Yuichi as Kikumaru and Oishi respectively, waved at them.

"That's already twice that's happened this week, isn't it?" Shirota asked with a shrug.

-break-

"Yes...he's naturally irritating...if only I can get back at him by getting some information about him and Shirota…" Kimeru muttered.

"If you're not careful, you'll end up becoming more of an Inui than a Fuji, Kime," a new voice said.

"That what can you suggest...Moriyama?" Kimeru asked the first cast Momoshiro, Moriyama Eiji.

"Doing Inui doesn't suit you at all," another new voice called.

Moriyama turned to see Gomoto Naoya, the first cast Kaidoh, already with his green bandana in place.

"That's what I was supposed to say!" he said before turning back to Kimeru. "But you _do_ need to figure out how he knows."

Takigawa got back on his feet. "Enough of this... We'll discuss this later. Right now we all need to gather at the rehearsal area. Put this behind you until today's session is over with. Ii na, Kimeru?"

Kimeru eyed them. "Only the first cast knows about Eiji and me...unless one of you squealed on us…" he said in a warning tone.

Moriyama and Aoyama shook their heads. "Not us, and you can bet it isn't the Golden pair," Moriyama answered.

"Then who...? Argh... I'll figure it out later," Kimeru said as he stood, taking his abandoned prop racket. "Let's go or else Ueshima-sensei will have our necks."

-break-

Aiba chuckled. "It was just revenge for yesterday," he answered.

Nagayama sighed. "You're asking for a Fuji war, Aibacchin..."

"Omoshiroi..." Araki Hirofumi, the second cast Inui, said, moving into the room with his notebook in hand, his Inui glasses already in place.

Yanagi lowered his cap. "Already getting into character, Araki-kun?"

-break-

Takigawa led the way towards the rehearsal area. Abe Yoshitsugu, and Kotani 'Konii' Yoshikazu, the first and second cast Kawamuras, Kaji Masaki, Kujirai Kousuke, Suzuki 'Zukki' Hiroki and Adachi Osamu, the second cast Momoshiro, Kaidoh and golden pair Oishi and Kikumaru respectively, joined the group along the way.

Upon arriving, Takigawa did a mental head count before nodding, moving up on stage. "It appears both the first and second Seigaku casts are here, save for Endo-kun, who'd be a little late. We can begin, then."

Kimeru saw Aiba who waved merrily at him. He looked away and focused his attention on Moriyama.

Aiba frowned. "He's the embodiment of Fuji's evil side," he muttered to himself.

"Ueshima-senpai left me in charge, so for today we'll be pitching in ideas for this new Dream Live. Think of this as a showdown between the two casts besting each other on stage," Takigawa announced.

"So in short, we'll be doing a lot of singing competition on stage, na?" Kaji inquired.

"Seigaku showdown..." Kimeru muttered with his "Fuji smile".

"Sounds interesting..." Aiba followed, unconsciously mimicking the action, the others backed away from the two Fuji's.

_'We're all going to die...'_ Tuti thought.

"I suggest fan-service...that's what gets us the audience's attention," Kimeru recommended. "Besides, _some_…" Kimeru paused as he glanced at Aiba and Shirota, who were standing beside each other before continuing. "…would be very natural about it all. Like it's actually true," he finished.

Aiba stepped up calmly. "I agree with Kimeru-senpai, after all...he can do the TezukaxFuji scenes with Taki-senpai with no problems whatsoever," he said.

Kimeru chuckled. "That's right...we wouldn't get... _carried away_ like _some_ people," he challenged as he placed a hand under his chin in a Fuji-ish manner.

"Yes, we _are_ all pretty professional," Aiba said and the two chuckled simultaneously.

Abe and Kotani, the two closest to them besides Shirota and Takigawa backed away with the rest of the cast.

Both Shirota and Takigawa crossed their arms in a Tezuka-like manner and shrugged simultaneously. '_Mattaku...'_ Takigawa thought.

The two Inui actors turned to one another. "It seems it can't be helped," Araki stated.

Aoyama adjusted his glasses. "It clearly seems so."

Abe blinked. "Shirotan and Aibacchin...Kimeru-senpai and Taki-senpai?" he asked incredulously.

"You didn't know Abe-kun?" a voice behind all of them said.

"Ueshima-sensei!" Abe said with a bow as the rest followed suit.

"So what seems to be happening?" the TeniMyu director asked.

Tuti stepped forward. "Uh... Kimeru and Aibacchin seem to have...er...a rivalry going on," he tried to explain.

"I expected as much..." he said as he looked at the two Tezuka's.

"And what do you plan to do about this?" he asked. Shirota stepped forward.

"Kime-sempai's idea is very tempting, and I for one have no protests against it if we are thinking about the greatest appeal to the fans."

Takigawa nodded. "Same here."

"So...wait...let me ask one little thing..." Nagayan stated as he raised a hand. "The four of you...are you guys really..." he asked, trailing off.

Shirota merely grinned while Takigawa adjusted his glasses in pure Tezuka fashion.

Nagayan was going to reply when they heard something hit the floor. "Ore?" he said as he turned around. "O-oi! Endo-kun fainted!" he said as he rushed over to Endo Yuya, their second Echizen, who had just arrived.

Aiba grinned as he looked at Kimeru. "So much for keeping it a secret, ne senpai?"

Kaji grinned. "Omoshiroi!"

Ueshima clapped his hands together. "It's decided, then!"

"Question now is..." Aoyama said as he glanced to the four in question once again.

"What kind of scenes are we allowed to show?" he inquired. "Ueshima-sensei?" he asked as he looked at their director.

Ueshima was already turning to leave, waving a hand over his shoulder. "That's up to you! I'll see the final product next week and express my opinion on it by then!" he called. "Taki-kun's in charge of rehearsals, so make sure you do as he says!"

All eyes turned toward the first cast Tezuka.

"So what's the plan, Buchou?" Kimeru teased.

"How about we revive Endo-kun first?" Nagayan said, frantically fanning the said boy.

Aoyama moved towards Endo and pulled out a beaker of supposed Inui juice. "Perhaps some special Inui Juice?" he tried.

"Baka, Sota!" Nagayan said as he hit him upside the head. "I meant a realistic way of getting him to wake up!"

Tuti sighed. "He'll wake up eventually, Takashi... Leave him alone so that we can plan the Dream Live..." he said.

"Wait... Are we going to have guests? Like the Hyoutei or Rikkai cast?" Abe clarified.

Aiba shrugged. "You seriously want to have the switching people around?" he muttered.

"It would be difficult already planning both Seigaku casts to be on stage..." Shirota pointed out.

Aoyama rubbed his head and muttered something about his drink being something that really could revive Endo but was ignored.

"Are we going to be using old routines and songs for this new one? Like the first cast doing their rendition of a song and the second cast doing theirs?" Gomoto inquired.

"It would be interesting to see both casts do 'VICTORY'…" Araki pointed out as he went over to the side stage.

Aiba thought for a moment. "We could also do another photo shoot...or better yet...we can have a "video showdown" just like DL 1," he suggested.

"But wouldn't that be difficult with the double roles?" Adachi asked him.

Kimeru looked at Aiba for a moment before smiling. "I think I get it. The video clips would be the "showdown" for both casts..."

"Exactly," Aiba answered.

Moriyama grinned. "I'm beginning to like that idea..."

"What exactly will everybody have to do in their respective videos?" Yanagi inquired.

"Well...since our theme is fan-service... We do the videos by pairs," Kimeru said.

Aiba nodded. "Inui and Kaidoh, Oishi and Eiji...the two Taka's doing random things and..."

The two Fuji's looked at each other and the rest swore that they saw sparks appear in between them.

"Tezuka and Fuji," they said at the same time, wearing similar smiles.

Tuti went over where the two Tezuka's stood and patted them on their shoulders. "I'll pray for your souls," he said as he went over to his partner and the other golden pair to talk about their video clips.

Takigawa and Shirota both raised eyebrows at Tuti before looking at each other. Shaking their heads, they moved to their corresponding pairs.

-break-

Kaji looked around. "Does that mean Echizen and Momoshiro pair up?" he asked.

Yanagi lowered his cap. "There's nobody else to pair up with, since the Kawamura-senpais are going solo," he replied feebly.

-break-

"So, Shirotan...what do you think should we do?" Aiba asked.

"GOLDEN PAIR!" The OishixKikumaru group cheered suddenly.

Kimeru chuckled. "They're fast thinkers…" he pointed out.

"Do you have any suggestions, Aibacchin?" Shirota asked.

Takigawa turned to the pair of Oishi-Kikumaru actors. "To make this less embarrassing for some, I'm giving you all the freedom to find a private spot to think up of your little skit. Practice on it and be back here in half an hour!" he announced to the group at large.

"Well...I think we should let Kimeru-senpai suggest things since he is more experienced in the field," Aiba said as he watched the Golden Pair group head towards the backstage.

Kimeru smiled at Aiba. "That is very flattering, Aiba-kun... I would suggest that we simply make use of a side story. Perhaps something that could have happened behind the scenes of an episode."

"How about the time when Tezuka was in Germany and Fuji was looking around the training area while the rest were having matches?" Aiba suggested.

Kimeru nodded. "That could work...the other scene could be..."

The two Fuji's looked up at one another and smiled before turning to the two Tezuka's. "During the time Tezuka and Fuji were alone in the locker room after Fuji's match which Echizen..." they said in perfect synchrony.

"When Fuji was..." Kimeru began.

"…drenched under the rain," Aiba finished as they advanced on the two Tezuka's.

"Ii data..." Aoyama muttered as he passed by to get his bag.

"We have things to discuss, then," Shirota said with a smile, taking Aiba's wrist and pulling him away.

Takigawa nodded to Kimeru. "We should get going as well," he replied, smirking.

"I get the rain scene!" Aiba called out as he was pulled away.

"Aa. I'll get the Germany episode instead," Kimeru said with a wave.

"Is it me or did they just agree..." Aoyama muttered.

Araki blinked. "Rikutsu Janai!" he exclaimed.

The Kaidoh's rolled their eyes. "Data men..." they muttered.

Aoyama turned to Gomoto. "Saa. We have our own scenes to think about."

Araki nodded. "Sou..."

-break-

"What did you do that for, Shirotan?" Aiba asked with a cute frown as they entered the backstage area.

"Ah, gomen. I was assuming you wanted some privacy in excessively planning this particular scene," Shirota apologized.

Aiba chuckled. "Silly Shirotan, who would like to pass up a chance to annoy Kime-senpai?" he said as he placed his arms around the taller boy's waist pulling him a bit closer. "I have a few ideas...but I want to hear yours first," he said.

"Apparently me," Shirota replied with a grin before moving on to the task at hand. "As to any ideas with our particular scene..." He paused for a moment to contemplate, bringing his hand up and running his hands through Aiba's hair.

-break-

"I never thought that we'd actually agree on something," Kimeru admitted with a chuckle. "So let's see... in the anime, the regulars visited Tezuka in Germany... Hmm... What could we pull out from there? I wonder…" Kimeru thought as he looked at his partner.

Takigawa chuckled. "Finding an opportunity to be alone is not so much of a problem for them while in Germany, is it?"

Kimeru nodded. "That's true; there are a lot of opportunities for the two of them to have a scene... But what kind of scene I wonder..." he said as he paused for a moment.

"Why did I get the sudden feeling that while we're racking our brains for our part, the other pair is busy flirting?" he said suddenly, but shrugged afterwards.

Takigawa shook his head. "That's because you two think alike."

Kimeru glared at him before slumping over to the prop bench just a few steps away. "I do NOT...DEFINITELY not think like that immature...worm dancer!" he stated darkly.

"Then what was all that agreement and synchronization earlier on?" Takigawa fired back.

-break-

Aiba smiled softly, "Maybe Shirotan would like a little inspiration?" he teased.

"Do share," Shirota whispered into Aiba's ear.

Aiba chuckled, "How does Shirotan get inspired? Is there anything I can do?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "Since it would be a shame to not get any ideas from the great Shirota Yuu…" he added as he moved his arms around Shirota's neck.

Shirota chuckled. "Since this is something between us, inspiration can come in any way you would feel it best, Aibacchin. Besides…" Shirota paused before continuing. "I have enough ideas to go around so you won't have to worry about that."

-break-

Kimeru glared at him again in a more intense manner. "I hate you..." he said quietly, not entirely meaning what he said.

Takigawa was silent for a long moment before bringing up a finger and poking Kimeru on the forehead. "You don't mean that," he pointed out flatly.

-break-

Aiba smiled at him before leaning over and kissing him. "So... what were those ideas, buchou? Care to share them now?" he asked in mild amusement.

Shirota nodded. "Aa." He moved to strike a thinking pose but miserably failed. "Though knowing you, you would already know what I'm thinking, na, Aibacchin?"

Aiba smiled mischievously "We might..." he said. "But my idea would cause TeniMyu to be banned for minors," he said with a sly smile.

Shirota laughed. "No, we wouldn't want that. Something that's both minimal and fulfilling at the same time to keep even the kids happy just watching."

Aiba laughed along. "We could do what you and Katou did during the showdown...the proximity I mean, and then we could just leave it to their imagination..." he said. "Oh, and it was also my fault why Katou's hair got bleached "accidentally" that week, just to let you know," he added.

-break-

Aoyama smirked when the two Inui-Kaidoh pairs finally settled on two different episodes to base their presentation on.

Araki adjusted his glasses. "Saa, ikkou yo, Kujirai-kun. We have things to discuss and rehearse!"

-break-

Kimeru pouted. "No I don't..." he admitted as he looked up at Takigawa.

Takigawa smirked. "Well, forget I said anything and let's plan for this properly," he said.

Kimeru nodded. "So let's see...what can we do..." he started once more as he thought for a moment. He then noticed Takigawa just standing in front of him, so he pulled him down to sit beside him on the bench. "Much better," he said happily.

Takigawa began brainstorming promptly after Kimeru had him sit down.

-break-

"And that's why there will be two Echizen's in each video," Moriyama finished explaining to his group.

-break-

Shirota stroked his chin. "We could have Kotani-kun come in and supposedly ruin the moment. Or..."

Aiba considered this for a moment. "Kotani...or Adachi," he corrected as he took a few steps back to lean on the wall.

Shirota scratched his cheek. "Or we could 'let nature take its course', if you know what I mean," he stated.

Aiba shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't follow." he admitted.

-break-

Kimeru thought for a moment. "How about Fuji gets lost in the building where Tezuka is staying in and he accidentally finds Tezuka's room?" he suggested.

"Before Tezuka shows the team to his room?" Takigawa clarified.

Kimeru nodded. "Yes before that. Let's say Fuji was supposed to be looking for the bathroom and eventually reached that area," he explained.

"But how are we going to put Tezuka in the scene?" Takigawa pondered, trying to recall the episode correctly. "Did Tezuka show them around immediately when they arrived?"

"No he didn't..." Kimeru said. "They waited for him at the lobby, remember?"

"That's why I had to confirm," Takigawa said after a slight chuckle escaped him.

"So how does Tezuka come in?" Kimeru said as he started to think again.

-break-

Shirota adjusted his prop glasses accordingly as he stated one word. "Lightning." Aiba looked thoughtful for a moment before smiling.

"Hmm... But that would just cause Fuji to jump forward instead of back..."

"The lights could go off right after that moment, of course," Shirota implied.

Aiba grinned slyly. "So that no one would have to see?" he asked.

Shirota nodded.

Aiba smiled. "That's good enough to keep the fans happy... So shall we meet up with Kimeru-senpai and Takigawa-senpai so that we can start our part?" he asked.

Shirota nodded. "Let's get going."

-break-

"If that's the case, Fuji could've gone off to the bathroom first while the rest were waiting for Tezuka. Incidentally, it was near his room, so when Tezuka had decided to meet up with them, bumped into Fuji and..." Takigawa paused, turning to Kimeru.

"And uses the time presented to him to release all the pent up emotions and words that he has been keeping since he left!" Kimeru finished. "Eiji! You're a genius!" he said as he practically half-glomped his partner.

Takigawa was taken aback for a moment before smirking.

Kimeru grinned up at him. "Hey..." he said suddenly.

"What is it?" Takigawa inquired.

"I meant the opposite when I said I hate you..." Kimeru said as he placed his hands behind Takigawa's neck.

Takigawa smirked. "Glad to hear it."

Kimeru smiled as he pulled Takigawa towards him.

-break-

Aiba laughed as he pulled Shirota out of the dressing room. "Come on, before I get tempted to lock ourselves inside this room for reasons not related to our current job."

Shirota followed suit. "Save it for later when practice is over."

Aiba, who was looking through an opening at the door, frowned. "They're flirting around while we were thinking of a scene?" he whispered at Shirota.

"They might've done things the opposite way," Shirota suggested.

Aiba's eyes widened. "Eww... I am NOT seeing our senpais make out!" he hissed as he grabbed Shirota's hand and used it to cover his eyes.

Shirota looked through the cracked before pulling Aiba away. "That's because we're not supposed to be sneaky about it."

-break-

Takigawa looked longingly at Kimeru before turning to the door.

Kimeru smiled in a Fuji-ish manner. "Well, Eiji? Are you going to wait for me to make the first move?" he teased.

Swearing he saw a glimpse of someone through the crack of the door, Takigawa returned his gaze to Kimeru. "Of course not," he replied, craning his neck as he directed himself towards Kimeru.

-break-

Aiba groaned and followed Shirota quickly, not wanting to see or hear anymore than he already did.

Shirota sighed with relief at having escaped detection and looked around. "I wonder if the Inui-Kaidoh pairs have thought up of their scenes..."

Aiba sighed. "If only the senpais weren't busy making out then we could already start filming..." he whined.

"Who's making out?" Aoyama said, suddenly popping out from nowhere.

Shirota turned calmly to Aoyama. "It's nothing, Aoyama-senpai. Is your group finished?"

Aoyama adjusted his glasses and smiled. "Yeah, we're already chatting about some projects we did in the past. Aiba, I didn't know that you did a yaoi production with Takumi before. Does Shirota know about Sukitomo?" he asked slyly.

Aiba nodded. "Yes, senpai. Shirotan was the first to know when I got the offer before."

"It was to get rid of any future arguments over it," Shirota explained.

Aiba nodded after that statement.

"I see... You two are pretty good when it comes to relationshi-" Aoyama was cut off when they heard a loud thud from where the second cast Tezuka and Fuji came from.

"O-oi! Tuti!" Nagayan exclaimed as he shook his partner who lay unconscious on the ground.

"I think Kimeru-senpai and Takigawa-senpai have been found out," Aiba commented with a sly smile.

-break-

Abruptly breaking off the kiss, the pair heard the noise as Takigawa moved towards the door and swung it forward, seeing Tuti unconscious on the ground. "What happened?" he demanded.

Shirota merely sighed as the other cast members started huddling around the area.

"What happened?" Kaji inquired. "We were just about to agree on our chosen scenes!"

Moriyama agreed. "Not that it's difficult pinpointing which ones to portray..."

Yanagi and Endo brought their caps down.

Nagayan looked at the group. "I don't know, he just told me he was hearing strange noises and then looked inside this room," he explained as he pointed to the door where Takigawa came from, Kimeru peeked outside.

Aiba grinned. "Ah~ so that's why..." he said.

Kimeru flushed crimson when Aiba looked at him. "What?"

"I wasn't saying anything senpai..." Aiba said with a chuckle.

Takigawa grasped Kimeru's shoulder. "Well, for now that matter's irrelevant. Have you all come up with your chosen scenes?" he asked the crowd at large as the two Kawamura's arrived.

The rest of the cast nodded, including Nagayan who was nursing the still unconscious Tuti.

"Yosh. Let's all break into groups and run through each pair's idea before filming starts later in the afternoon," Takigawa explained.

"Hai, Buchou!" came the collective response.

Aiba and Kimeru eyed each other warily.

Everybody divided into their corresponding teams before Shirota pulled Aiba towards Takigawa and Kimeru.

Kimeru looked at Aiba. "So what have you planned?" he asked.

Aiba smiled at him. "Our setting is in the clubroom after the Ryoma-Fuji match under the rain," he said simply.

Kimeru nodded. "We have Tezuka's room in Germany."

"Didn't we already decide this before we parted to discuss the particular scene?" Takigawa confirmed.

Shirota nodded. "Hai."

"So first things first," Kimeru said. "Who gets to film their video first?"

"I'm fine with anything," Takigawa declared.

Kimeru thought for a moment. "I suggest that Aiba and Shirota do their scene first. After all, ours is much less complicated in terms of effects," he said.

Aiba blinked. "And...How do you know that, senpai?" he asked incredulously.

Kimeru smirked. "Well...from the setting that has been settled I thought that you will have to use the "rain" effects and the blackout lines... besides... Eiji and I might have a hard time pulling you two apart once we say "cut"."

Shirota looked over to Kimeru for a moment's glance before clearing his throat distractedly. "Alright, then… If it's fine with the senpais, perhaps it is best that we prepare, Aibacchin?" he piped up, heading off to ask for assistance with the effects.

Aiba nodded. "I'll go and get the camera crew, Shirotan," he said as he went to the technical crew.

Kimeru made a thoughtful sound before looking at Takigawa. "Ne Eiji, we should probably assist those two," he said.

Takigawa crossed his arms. "Since when were you keen on helping them out?" he inquired with a smirk.

"Since I discovered that they're going to have a kissing scene and we're probably going to watch," he answered with an evil smile. "Aiba-kun isn't the only one who is fond of photography, you know...besides...There's another segment in the show besides the videos...the candid photos… just like in Dream Live 1st," he said. "And I will be taking all the pictures this time around…"

Takigawa took a moment before nodding. "At least now I won't be surprised. Of course, I'm hoping that you haven't gone to great lengths to embarrass a few people to the point of a confrontation?"

"Well..." he said as he showed him a picture of Nagayan and Tuti in a suggestive position in their Seigaku costumes. "This is the most suggestive thing I have so far. I'm waiting for the chance to snap a picture of Aiba and Shirota," he admitted with a smirk.

Takigawa stopped himself from twitching. "You didn't waste time, did you?" he spared a moment's glance to see the two returning before whispering, "Get your camera ready."

Shirota raised an eyebrow at a short exchange of conversation of the other pair before stating, "Everything's set up to our preferred setting then, Aibacchin."

Aiba smiled. "Ready! Just have to get myself wet under the rain," he said as he ran up to Shirota, now wearing his Seigaku shirt.

Kimeru grinned. "Remember to behave Shirotan…" he said slyly as Aiba pulled his partner to the set in the next studio room, Shirota glancing over to Kimeru suspiciously.

He looked over to Takigawa. "Teenage hormones..." he said thoughtfully as he readied his camera and followed the two. Takigawa followed in silence, eager to find out what they were going to do.

-break-

Aiba let go of Shirota's hand when they were at the set. "You signal the start," he said as he went outside in the "rain", to get himself "fixed" for the scene.

-break-

Kimeru chuckled as he adjusted his camera.

-break-

Shirota got himself into character and nodded to the crew to begin filming as he looked out the prop window, crossing his arms across his chest with his back to the camera.

Aiba walked in, drenched by the "rain". He paused as he looked up at Shirota. "Tezuka..." he said softly.

-break-

Kimeru smiled. _'He's really good at this...'_ he thought.

Shirota turned to Aiba before returning his attention outside as the fake rain poured like mad on the other side of the window. "The match you had with Echizen just now... Why didn't you go all out for the victory? It's just as Inui said, Fuji... Your data cannot be collected... Where is the real you?" he demanded, rotating to face Aiba who had sat himself down on the bench as the second cast Tezuka lowered his arms.

-break-

_'Looks like someone did some quick research with his lines...'_ Takigawa stated with a chuckle.

-break-

"I...I don't know either..." Aiba responded, looking at Shirota then at the window. "Ne...if this proves to be a problem...take me out of the regulars," he stated calmly.

-break-

At this point, Kimeru readied his camera and adjusted the aperture to accommodate the lighting.

There was a lingering silence between the two when suddenly, right on cue, the fake lightning erupted behind Shirota, plunging them into a moment's darkness.

_'Another one and we execute...'_ Shirota told himself.

Aiba, conscious about his cue, startles a bit and jumped up into Shirota's arms before the lights were turned off. "S…Shirota…" he whispered quietly, careful to not let the microphones pick up the sound.

-break-

Kimeru raised his camera and waited for the recording to end.

-break-

Shirota caught Aiba just as the lights were cut off, the rain the only sound echoing across the room before Shirota leaned in for a quick kiss before the recording ended as he pulled himself back, staring longingly into Aiba's eyes as the lights slowly came back on.

-break-

Kimeru snickered and timed the shot well, capturing the duo's kiss with the flash of his camera.

Aiba blinked a few times before realizing what happened. He buried his face on Shirota's shoulder. "Oh shit...did senpai just..."

Shirota blinked at the flash before turning to Aiba, letting off a short chuckle. "Afraid so," he stated, spotting the camera.

Kimeru grinned as he pulled Takigawa to the other set.

"Let's start," he said as he signaled to the camera men and threw the camera to Aiba, who caught it. "Take good pictures, Kouhai," he said. Aiba glared at him.

-break-

The scene started as Kimeru entered the "room".

"This isn't the bathroom either..." he said in his Fuji voice.

Takigawa adjusted his prop glasses before walking towards the room. "Ah~ Fuji..." he stated, spotting him as he reached his room. "What are you doing in my room?"

Kimeru smiled at him. "I was looking for the bathroom and ended up here... Funny isn't it?" he said.

-break-

Aiba resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

-break-

Takigawa smiled as he moved past him and into the room. "I was planning on meeting with you guys in the lobby, but if you need to use the bathroom, I have my own right here," he said, directing him to another door.

"Thanks. Just needed to wash my hands..." Kimeru said gratefully as he went to another door, running water was heard for a few seconds before he came back. He was going to go straight to the door when he stopped. "It's really nice to see you again, Kunimitsu...I- the team has missed you a lot," he added.

-break-

_'Ah...so they're making this something after our scene...'_ Aiba thought.

-break-

Receiving the hint, Takigawa just nodded stiffly.

Kimeru moved over to the door, his hand resting on the knob. "Shall we go to the others?" he asked.

-break-

Aiba, taking the hint, readied the camera and adjusted the angle. _'This better be good...'_ he thought bitterly.

-break-

"Fuji..." Takigawa began, eyeing Kimeru for a long moment, his hand having abandoned a notebook that he set down on the desk.

Kimeru paused and turned around to face Takigawa. "What is it, Tezuka?" he asked.

Takigawa distracted himself for a full 10 seconds before bursting out suddenly, "It's been a while since I've been away from Japan. I miss being with you..."

Kimeru smiled at him. "We've missed you too, Tezuka," he said.

Takigawa approached Kimeru and took his wrist and pinned him to the door. "You misunderstand. I missed _you_, Syusuke..."

-break-

Aiba fought down the urge to laugh out loud when he recognized the genuine surprise on Kimeru's face as he was pinned to the door. "Go Taki-senpai!" he said quietly.

-break-

Kimeru was at a loss for a moment, not expecting Takigawa to make an immediate move. "K-Kunimitsu..." he stuttered.

-break-

_'Priceless...I'm going to shoot this for Takigawa-senpai because I know Kimeru-senpai wouldn't want it to be used for the musical,'_ Aiba thought as he took out the flash and snapped the picture.

-break-

"It's been pretty lonely here... I'm glad that at least... for the time being, we can be together again... Even if it's just for a little while..." Takigawa continued, bringing up his other hand and stroking Kimeru's cheek.

-break-

Aiba had to stop himself from going "Aww..." over the line and opted to cling to Shirota's arm instead.

-break-

Kimeru's shocked expression softened as he leaned into the touch. "I am, too... I've missed you so much…" he said.

-break-

_'Darn it...our senpais are good...'_ Aiba thought in defeat.

Shirota blinked several times. _'How long do they plan to make this video?'_ he thought to himself.

-break-

Takigawa moved in until he was an inch from Kimeru's face, their noses nearly touching.

Kimeru turned his head away. "N-Not here..." he said.

-break-

Aiba was already busy taking down notes and snapping a few pictures.

-break-

Takigawa gently had Kimeru face him with his fingers. "Why not?" he inquired.

-break-

Aiba was clutching Shirota's shirt tightly. "How the hell do they do that?" he hissed.

-break-

Kimeru blushed a bit more. _'Stupid Eiji! Making me lose my lines...'_ he thought angrily. "Someone might walk in and...and..." _'I'm a failure as a Fuji...'_ he thought, trailing off.

-break-

Aiba was thinking otherwise. _'Now that...is Fuji Syusuke...'_ "Senpai is gonna get raped...isn't he?" he whispered to Shirota.

"He just might..." Shirota said quietly. _'Who would've thought they'd come up with such... such a masterpiece?'_ Shirota asked himself.

-break-

Takigawa smirked. "Don't mind it..." His free hand moved to lock the door before pulling him towards the bed.

Kimeru felt his eyes widen and his blush intensifying the moment that his back hit the bed. "K-kuni..." he said, looking at Takigawa's predatory expression.

-break-

"Once they say cut...we're getting out of here... Seeing them make out is one thing, but watching them doing 'it' is a different thing..." Aiba said hurriedly to Shirota.

Shirota nodded. "Agreed."

-break-

Takigawa got onto the bed with him and leaned in close for a few moments before the video was cut then and there, just as they had discussed. "How was that?" he asked Kimeru quietly.

-break-

Aiba bent down a bit to get the angle he wanted, took the picture and bolted out of the room, pulling Shirota along, the camera men following them, thus leaving the two alone.

-break-

Kimeru smiled a bit. "You surprised me a bit and we scared off the others..." he said as he placed his arms around Takigawa's neck. "So...I think you deserve a little reward."

Takigawa smirked.

-break-

Aiba panted as he stopped running, they were already onstage but none of the other cast members were there. "Remind me to never do that again..." he told Shirota in between pants.

Shirota caught his breath before looking back from which they came before turning to Aiba. "But you have to admit, Aibacchin... Taki-senpai knows what he's doing..."

"Raping Kimeru-senpai must have been second nature to him by now... You should take lessons from him," Aiba declared as he jumped down the stage to retrieve the bag he had placed there earlier.

"Whose turn is it to make dinner, you or me?" he asked randomly as he pulled out his phone.

Shirota gave out a hearty laugh. "You think so?" Shirota thought for a moment before replying, "It's my turn."

+++May 3, 2006+++

The two Seigaku casts, after working on the videos, conducted their practices for the rest of the show. After many weeks of preparation, the night of the musical proper the stadium was packed.

"What else do you expect? We basically put "Yaoi " on the advertisements…" Kimeru muttered. The next scene, once the Ichinen trio exited, was "behind the scenes".

-break-

Aiba, who was at the other side of the stage, looked at Shirota. "I'm a bit nervous about this..." he said.

Shirota clapped him on the shoulder. "It'll be fine. Saa, yudan sezu ni ikou," he said before moving out on stage after the signal was given.

-break-

Kimeru smiled at the audience. "Well now... The audience seems to be very lively tonight!" he noted.

Aiba nodded. "Of course...after all this is what they have all been waiting for!"

The two looked at one another and gestured to the big screen behind them. "Seigaku regulars! Secrets unveiled!" they said together as the videos started. The order of presentation was Golden Pair, Emerald Pair, Kawamura's bonus videos, Ah-Un Pair and finally Perfect Pair.

Aiba subconsciously reached down and took hold of Shirota's hand as the last two videos were shown.

The first video was Aiba and Shirota's and the finale was Kimeru and Takigawa's. Needless to say, the crowd was in fan-girl heaven.

"That's not all..!" Kimeru exclaimed amidst the screaming. "We…" he said as he pulled Aiba to stand beside him, but suddenly stopped when he noticed that Aiba was holding Shirota's hand, the camera zoomed in and showed this to the crowd who went silent...and proceeded to scream louder after a second or two.

Shirota turned away and seemed to adjust his glasses as Takigawa stepped forward. "Onto the next segment!" he called out, looking towards the rest of the cast members before setting his gaze on Kimeru. "Fuji, dozo." Takigawa gestured to the audience before stepping back.

"Why did buchou have to take the center stage?" Moriyama asked Endo, who just shrugged in reply.

Kimeru stepped forward. "What the others don't know is that all throughout our school year, I have been taking pictures of each and every one." he said, the cast, who didn't know anything about it, stared at him in shock and confusion.

"S-senpai... Wait...you don't mean..." Moriyama started, looking at the first cast Fuji in disbelief.

"Seigaku Regulars Secrets: Part Two!" he announced starting off with the golden pair, again following the same order as the videos.

"The last picture..." Kimeru started. "Wasn't really what I expected…" he said as he glanced over to Shirota and Aiba in amusement. "Who would have thought that there was a reason why Tezuka…" he said as he nodded at Shirota to clarify which. "Always had the keys to the locker rooms... dozo!" he said as the picture of Aiba and Shirota kissing flashed on the big screen.

The other regulars stared.

Both Kaidoh's gave a simultaneous response: "Fsssssssssh ..."

Aiba cleared his throat. "Unfortunately... Fuji-kun," Aiba began. "I also got a very interesting picture of you and... your dear Buchou," he said as he turned to face the first cast Seigaku. "Have you ever wondered what took them so long?" he said, the final video, after all, was cut from the part where Takigawa was going to move Kimeru to the bed.

"Everyone, take a look at this."

It was the hit of the musical. After all, who could resist a picture of Tezuka, looking sinister while pinning Fuji - to a bed of all places.

Some of the regulars were already imitating fishes out of water while Tuti fainted. _'Not again...'_ Nagayan thought.

Now it was Takigawa's turn to randomly adjust his glasses in pure Tezuka fashion, turning his back to the audience for the time being.

Yanagi made a double take on the picture. "Hontou ni?" he inquired, looking back and forth between the picture and the pair of Takigawa and Kimeru.

Aiba smiled. "I'm afraid so," he said.

"Mada mada dane…" the Echizen's stated, pulling their caps down.

"Ah~ but that doesn't mean that you two don't do it too…" Kimeru declared; Aiba grinned at him and they both chuckled evilly in a Fuji like manner.

Both casts - except the respective Tezukas - backed up from the Fuji's. All were wondering what been developing between the two while the audience cheered their support. After that, a series of dancing and singing ensued. Then it was the director's turn to surprise everyone.

"There are 5 winners from the audience that are allowed to ask their questions to the Seigaku regulars, please approach the microphone now."

The cast looked around and Ueshima waved at them from the audio booth.

A girl who was about 19 years of age approached the microphone, testing it for a second before stating, "I would like to direct a question to the first cast Tezuka and Fuji. Who was the one who thought up of the scene for the video earlier on?"

Kimeru smiled. "I suggested the setting, He did the _entire_ thing," he answered, emphasizing the word 'entire'.

The girl left after expressing her thanks, giggling happily as another girl, around 17 this time, stepped up to the microphone. "For the second cast Fuji and Tezuka, was the picture shopped?"

Aiba smiled nervously and pushed Shirota forward a bit.

Shirota stumbled a bit but quickly got his balance, clearing his throat. "No, it was purely Aibacchin and I. There was no photo-manipulation involved whatsoever."

Thanking them, the second girl left as a girl of around 15 came forward. "For the first cast Oishi, why did you faint when you saw the picture of the first cast Tezuka and Fuji?"

Tuti stepped up. "Well...to be honest, I never really expected that..." he said, scratching his cheek nervously.

"And he faints all the time!" Nagayan added.

"That too..." Tuti admitted with a nervous chuckle.

Next was a girl around 18 stepped up to the microphone, "To both Momoshiro's. Didn't it bother you that you had to work with two Echizen's...for a yaoi musical?"

Moriyama and Kaji looked at one another. "How so?" the two replied simultaneously, turning to the girl.

"I'm referring to the videos," The girl answered, clarifying things.

Moriyama grinned. "Nope, it didn't bother me at all."

"It was quite fun actually," Kaji added with a nod.

Satisfied with the answer, the girl took her seat before a girl of 17 stepped forward. "For the two Inui's, was it difficult to take on that type of role for your videos or did it come naturally?"

Aoyama and Araki adjusted their glasses.

Aiba chuckled. "On Aoyama's part, he's naturally analytic," he supplied.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED. :D

We look forward to your reviews and possible suggestions. :)


	2. Dilemma that is Minami Keisuke

**Title:** Anything for You

**Author/Artist:** snooperj & Bloodysamurai

**Series/Pairing(s):** TeniMyu; Mainly Takigawa Eiji x Kimeru & Shirota Yuu x Aiba Hiroki

**Notes:** Here is the 2nd chapter entitled **Dilemma that is Minami Keisuke**. We had decided to turn Minami into a villain for a while (no offense to him, though, as he does make a fair Tezuka, in any case) so as to spice things up among the actors. :) Hyoutei actors will be popping in and out from now on, so please enjoy! This chapter covers one and a half days of the timeline - the night of May 3 and May 4, 2006.

**ALSO! None of the authors of this roleplay/fanfic own TeniMyu or the actors, but are mere fangirls of the musical series and corresponding actors we write about. Everything that progresses in the story is the creation of our witty imaginations.

* * *

+++May 3, 2006+++

After one last dance number, Dream Live 3 ½ was done. The curtains were closed and finally, both casts had the last few moments on stage to themselves.

"That was fun..!" Kimeru said with a more natural smile.

"Hai~ it was really enjoyable to get back on stage-ore? Aibacchin is crying?" Nagayan pointed out, spotting the second cast Fuji.

Aiba immediately turned his back to them.

Kimeru approached them. "Aww, come on Kouhai...we'll all see each other again. After all... we already have our legacies... It's time for us to step down and let the third cast shine."

"T-That's the point..." Aiba managed to say.

Kimeru raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean, Aiba?" he asked.

"I-I'm still in the third cast," he answered weakly.

Kimeru's eyes grew wide as he turned to face Shirota for a while before turning to look at Aiba again. "You mean-"

"They're going to pair me up with another Tezuka!" Aiba said finally, causing the other cast members to look at them, an unexpected revelation dawning over them.

Shirota avoided looking at anybody, blinking the tears back as he took off his prop glasses that he was going to wear for the last time.

Kimeru frowned as he looked at the second cast Tezuka and Fuji. "Ueshima-sensei didn't give you an option?" he asked. Aiba shook his head, Kimeru sighed. "This is going to be ugly...general rule...only one Tezuka to a Fuji... But this...this is just absurd!" he stated. Kimeru stepped back. "Shirota, why don't you help calm down Aiba for a bit?" he asked gently as he patted Shirota on the back.

Shirota moved forward towards Aiba, wrapping his arms around him, whispering comforting words to him.

"What I heard..." Aoyama suddenly began, causing the people around him to look at him. "...is that the third cast Tezuka specifically asked that Aiba-kun remain as Fuji. Apparently he has power over the situation."

"This is bad...what do you think?" Kimeru asked as he turned to face Takigawa.

Takigawa crossed his arms. "For one thing, we know that we have no control over the casting, and it is completely up to Ueshima-sensei to make the final decision."

"If any of you recognize the name 'Minami Keisuke' anywhere, please speak up," Araki pointed out.

"I do..." a voice from the backstage spoke up.

"That sounds familiar…" Nagayan said as he looked around. "Ore? Kamakari Kenta?" he said.

Kamakari 'Kenken' Kenta, Hyoutei's Shishido actor, stepped onto the stage and waved at them.

"The one and only..! I came by to tell you guys something..." he said.

"What is it?" Endo asked.

"Keep Aiba away from Minami," Kenken warned as he gestured to Aiba who now clung to Shirota, small sobs could still be heard from him. "It's true that Minami had requested that Aiba would be the third cast Fuji but... as for his motives…" he said, trailing off as he looked at Aiba. "I'm afraid I don't have a clue..." he admitted.

"Kenken!" came another voice.

Kenken turned around and smirked. "Scratch that, maybe we can get something," he said as Date Koji, Hyoutei's Choutarou actor, appeared, holding up a CD.

"I got it, Kenken!" he said happily.

"Skip the mushy Silver Pair reunion. What's in the CD?" Kimeru snapped, getting impatient.

"It's an observation recording of Minami from Takumi," Koji answered.

Kimeru glanced at them suspiciously. "Why are the Hyoutei cast helping?" he asked.

"Not all of us. Just Kazuki, Ruito, Koji, Takumi and I," Kenken answered. "Besides...we owe Aiba a lot."

Araki held out his hand. "Hand it over and we'll have a look at that CD," he stated.

Shirota continued comforting Aiba, silently wishing death to Keisuke Minami.

Koji nodded as he gave the CD to Araki. "Zukki, you have your portable DVD player with you right?" Araki asked the second cast Oishi who nodded and went backstage to get the said technological equipment. When he came back they immediately put the CD in.

-video-

**"It's on, Takumi..." they heard a voice, which they recognized as Aoyagi 'Rui' Ruito, Hyoutei's Gakuto actor.**

**"This better be good..."**

**"Shh, Rui! He's coming out!" Saito Takumi, Hyoutei's Oshitari actor, said as the camera focused on a door, which opened a few moments later and then Minami, Sakurada and Watanabe came out.**

**"You sure got lucky, Minami!" Sakurada Doori, the third cast Echizen, said as he slapped Minami on the back.**

**Watanabe Kouji, the third cast Kawamura, grinned at them. "Who knew that you could actually pull it off?" he chided.**

**Minami smirked. "I get what I want," he stated calmly.**

**"But what are you going to do about Aiba's so called boyfriend?" Sakurada asked.**

**"He won't be a problem since they're not together anymore in the musical. I'm going to be Tezuka...and Aiba will be my Fuji," Minami answered darkly.**

**"Brat," Watanabe teased.**

**"I'm not. It just so happens that I'm smart enough to get what I want. And I want Aiba Hiroki," Minami said with a smug expression.**

**"No shit..." came Takumi's voice again. "Let's go Rui. I think we have more than what Kenta asked for."**

**"Hell yeah," came Rui's reply as the video ended.**

-video-

Kimeru's expression was grim. "It looks like we have a big problem…" he said as he looked at Aiba who, halfway into the video, calmed down but now started shaking as he held on to Shirota.

"He's a dead man..." Shirota stated as soon as the video ended, his grip tightening around Aiba slightly to stop him from shaking.

"Calm down, Shirotan, we'll think of a way to-" Yanagi began, but he was cut off.

"I'll make him regret ever wanting to break us apart like this..." Shirota interjected. "Who cares about what he wants?"

Kimeru sighed. "Shirotan, calm down...you're scaring Aibacchin even more," he pointed out as he eyed his kouhai.

Shirota jumped at the mention of scaring Aiba before he turned to his partner and quickly apologized. "Gomen, gomen, Aibbachin."

"Well...one thing's for sure...we won't let him do anything to Aiba," Nagayan concluded.

"But... he still has to be Fuji for the upcoming TeniMyu...and practices start in three weeks," Aoyama said as he scanned the document he had on his laptop.

"Shirota, why don't you take Aiba home...you two live together anyway," Kimeru said. "Eiji and I will drive you there, right Eiji?" he said as he nodded at Takigawa.

"We'll talk about this tomorrow when everyone is less shaken up...and Kenken," he continued as he looked at the Hyoutei members. "Call your friends over. My house tomorrow at around 10 in the morning," he addressed as he looked at everyone else. "Those who can come are welcome."

Takigawa nodded over to Kimeru as he approached the second cast Tezuka-Fuji pair. "We'll figure a way around this..." he whispered to the two.

"We'll all see each other then," Kimeru said as the others nodded and left. "Here, Eiji. You drive," he said as he handed the keys to Takigawa. "I'll take Shirotan and Aiba's bags to the car, you guys go ahead," he stated as he walked towards the dressing rooms to retrieve the things of his companions.

Aiba, who had somewhat calmed down, stopped shaking but was still clutching on to Shirota. "Yuu…" he said softly, using Shirota's first name.

"Daijobu, Hiro-kun..." Shirota whispered, pecking him on the cheek as they followed Takigawa to the parking lot.

-break-

"I wonder what Shirota-kun plans to do about this..." Konii wondered when they were packing up to go.

Adachi shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever it is, he needs to plan it well, considering the attitude of the Minami person."

Aoyama frowned. "True...I've never seen a Tezuka actor with no heart...and an arrogance that can match an Atobe actor," he said.

-break-

Aiba was still out of it all the way back to where he and Shirota lived. "We'll pick you two up at around 8:30 tomorrow. In the meantime, I leave Aibacchin in your capable hands," Kimeru said as he and Takigawa moved to leave the place after helping the two with their things.

Shirota gave the two senpais a quick bow before single-handedly taking the things into the room before returning downstairs to bring Aiba into the living room. Shirota closed the front door, locked it and headed over to the kitchen. "How about I get dinner started, Hiro-kun?" he inquired cheerfully, trying to get his partner's mind off Minami for the time being.

-break-

Takigawa took his seat in the driver's side promptly after offering to drive the rest of the way back to their own house. After a few minutes, they arrived as he pulled into the driveway of their house as Takigawa sighed. "It's hard to believe that someone would want to do this..."

Kimeru sighed as he opened the door to get out. "I know...Especially when it's public knowledge who's with who from the cast," he said. "I just hope that the two of them would be able to support each other... I mean, Shirota must be going through as much as Aiba is…" he added as he pulled out the keys to the house and opened the door.

-break-

Aiba nodded silently with a small smile. "That sounds good, Yuu," he said. "Would you like me to help?" he asked.

Shirota vigorously shook his head, making an 'x' with his arms. "No! I get dibs on making dinner! So you just relax and prepare yourself to enjoy my cooking!" he said with a grin before heading off to wash his hands.

Aiba smiled. _'I'm so lucky that I have him..._' he thought. He then looked at the small table just beside the couch he was sitting on and took the picture frame on it. His smile grew wider when he saw the picture; it was Araki who took it. The picture showed him and Shirota looking at each other lovingly. It was the day that they had confessed to one another. He chuckled upon remembering how flustered he was while being coached by the Hyoutei cast of all people on how to tell Shirota.

"It all worked out in the end…ne?" he said quietly.

-break-

Takigawa followed Kimeru into the house with their things before setting them down by the front closet. "I'm sure they'll be able to, Kime-kun. After all..." Takigawa paused as he approached him and pecked him on the lips. "They succeeded us well, didn't they?"

Kimeru smiled. "True... they did quite well... but that's because they did it together," he said. "Now let's see... my turn to make dinner tonight, right?" he finished as he gently pushed Takigawa towards the stairs. "Now why don't you go take a shower while I prepare something nice?"

"I'm going, I'm going..." Takigawa stated, grinning as he continued up the stairs and headed off to take a well-deserved shower.

-break-

Shirota was busy in the kitchen, deciding to make a Chicken Pasta Casserole for once and began doing various things such as preparing the chicken and pasta to be cooked, bustling around the kitchen in search of an ingredient, a cooking utensil or a serving container.

Aiba stood up and headed to the kitchen, he leaned on the door frame and observed Shirota as he moved around the kitchen. _'Adorable...'_ he thought.

-break-

Kimeru was humming **_'Timeless'_** while preparing a simple curry dish. He then heard a soft bark from behind him. "Hey there, Pearl," he said to the Yorkshire terrier. "Hungry?" he asked as he moved over to the cabinet to find some dog food to feed the dog with. "There you go," he said as he put the food in the bowl and finished cooking.

-break-

Shirota was in the middle of cooking the pasta while simultaneously mixing the chicken with various ingredients to prepare the sauce. He paused and turned to the door to find Aiba there before blowing his cheeks up in a playful manner, lowering his eyebrows and pointing his wooden spoon at him. "No peeking!" he stated in mock anger.

Aiba chuckled. "Alright Alright," he said with a bright smile as he went back to the living room. _'Kawaii...'_ he thought all the while.

-break-

Getting out of the shower, Takigawa moved to get changed in their room and emerged minutes later. He headed downstairs and went to feed Q, his rabbit.

As soon as Kimeru finished cooking he set the table and smiled. He went to the next room to see Takigawa feeding Q. He smirked as he approached quietly and hugged the man from behind. "Dinner's ready..." he said, tempted to say a line that was absolutely clichéd.

-break-

Shirota turned his attention back to his cooking before setting the pasta into a container and spread the finished sauce over it. Mixing it, he grated some cheese to finish it off before going to set the table. Finally, after a few rounds, Shirota finally set the Chicken Pasta Casserole as the table's centerpiece before calling out, "Hiro-kun, dinner's on the table!"

Aiba stood and went to the dining area; he looked at the food presented. "Looks great, Yuu-kun," he said as he took a seat.

-break-

Takigawa had just closed the lid of Q's cage before hearing Kimeru and feel the other man's arms wrap itself around his waist. Turning to face him, Takigawa kissed him on the forehead. "Let's eat."

Kimeru grinned as he pulled Takigawa to the dinner table.

-break-

After dinner, Aiba had shooed Shirota upstairs after saying that he was going to do the dishes. He followed after finishing his chore. He took a quick shower and changed into some more comfortable clothes before going off to lie down on their bed.

-break-

Takigawa spotted the food and grinned, seating himself down. "Seems my cooking's rubbing off on you," he teased before they sat down to eat.

Kimeru grinned. "Of course...I have to learn some time..." he said as he went to eat.

Takigawa smirked before sampling Kimeru's curry. "This is good!" he complimented before downing the rest of his serving.

Kimeru smiled. "I'm glad you like it," he said, thankful that his lessons with Nagayan the previous week were paying off.

-break-

Shirota was already in bed with the TV on, a random show that struck him as funny and decided to leave it there for its hilarity.

Aiba moved to place his head on Shirota's chest, wrapping his arms around him. "I'm sorry for freaking out earlier..." he said softly, referring to the sudden scene as soon as the curtains went down.

Shirota waited for the program to end before turning the TV off, placing the remote on the bedside table before he stroked his fingers through Aiba's hair. "It's alright... Even though we've already talked about it before..."

Aiba hugged Shirota and pulled himself closer. "I'm scared, Yuu..." he admitted. "I don't know why... I haven't met him before but..." his voice shook and he bit his lip to try and stop himself from acting like a child and start crying again.

-break-

After dinner, Takigawa offered to do the dishes and this time had Kimeru take his shower. After clearing the table and everything stowed away, Takigawa went up to their room.

Kimeru was just going to put his shirt on when Takigawa walked in. "Long day, isn't it?" he said. "I hope we get good ideas tomorrow."

Takigawa nodded and proceeded to the bed. "Yeah... Perhaps we could think of something now if you like," he offered.

"My thoughts are going along the lines of 'Find that Minami guy and murder him…'" Kimeru admitted as he sat on the bed. "You?" he asked.

-break-

"I wonder if you were feeling the same way about me before we began practice for the Side Yamabuki Musical..." Shirota asked with a slight chuckle, trying to lighten the mood and change the topic again.

Aiba smiled. "I was nervous... But it was a good kind of nervous... since I've had a crush on you ever since I watched you in the Sailor Moon Musical," he admitted.

Shirota laughed. "Oh, the days of my youth when innocence was forgotten and my dignity gone," he dramatized, striking a very remarkable resemblance of Takigawa's Tezuka embarrassment pose during Dream Live 1st as he turned his face to the side and supposedly pressed his glasses - though he wasn't wearing any - up.

-break-

"Hey, that's Shirota's answer," Takigawa reasoned. "And anyway, I would suggest figuring out why he'd want to have Aiba in particular..."

"Well...to tell you the truth I think I have an idea as to why Aiba..." Kimeru said. "Think about it: he's a rising star, a good dancer and - although I hate to admit it - he's really pretty hot," he explained with a thoughtful look. "That's why his announcement that he was with Shirota was a big surprise... Besides...I've never seen someone that has the patience to satisfy Ueshima-sensei's obsessive-compulsive heart when it comes to the dances. And no, Shirota's answer would most probably be: 'Find Minami, Torture him before killing him and make sure no one finds the body afterwards.'"

"Ah, is that right?" Takigawa said, enlightened now as he chuckled. "You could be right, of course..."

Kimeru sighed as he pulled Takigawa to the bed and snuggled up next to him. "Let's just think about this tomorrow. All that complimenting on Aiba is making my head hurt..." he whined.

Takigawa chuckled. "Well, you started it, but alright." It was then that they retired off to sleep.

Kimeru smiled as he moved closer to Takigawa before falling asleep.

-break-

Aiba chuckled. "What about you? What did you think about me when you first saw me?" he asked.

"That you were a great Fuji, and a better dancer than I'll ever be. Even though I had a prowess in singing, that didn't stop me from being attracted to you somehow..." Shirota replied, kissing Aiba's hair, being unable to reach any other part for the time being.

Aiba chuckled. "Araki said that you thought that I danced like a worm..." he teased as he propped himself up on his elbows beside the other boy.

Shirota paused and did a mock thinking pose. "Did I?"

"You did, didn't you?" Aiba said in mock annoyance as he grabbed a pillow and proceeded to hit Shirota with it. "I do not dance like a worm!" he exclaimed.

Shirota put up an arm in defense to the pillow. "I swear I didn't!" he replied.

Aiba paused in mid-hit as he blinked at Shirota. "You promise that you didn't?" he asked with a grin.

"Yes!" he replied, afraid of the strike of the pillow as he ducked out of the way and moved to hide underneath the safety of the blankets.

Aiba smiled and put the pillow down. He then went over to where Shirota was bundled up and decided to hug him while he was still under the covers. "I love you, Shirota Yuu..." he said randomly.

Somewhat calmed down now, Shirota popped his head out from under the covers and smirked, moving to get his arm around the boy and brought him into a deep embrace. "And you know I love you, Aiba Hiroki," he replied passionately.

Aiba embraced him as well, smiling. He was glad that he was with Shirota, if the situation he was in happened otherwise he didn't know what he would do. "Let's go to bed, Yuu... We have a long day ahead of us," he said.

"Saa… yudan sezu ni ikou," he replied, using his Tezuka voice before taking in Aiba's lips with his own before settling into dreamland.

Aiba smiled as he cuddled up closer to Shirota and fell to asleep.

+++May 4, 2006+++

Kimeru yawned, stirring from sleep as he looked around and saw Takigawa still asleep beside him. He smiled and kissed him on the cheek before moving to get up. "Huh?" he said as he found himself tangled in both the blanket and Takigawa's arms.

"Eiji...let me go...need to start...breakfast..." he coaxed as he tugged at the blanket in hopes of loosening it from around his legs.

"No... Stay here..." Takigawa mumbled, half-asleep.

-break-

Shirota mumbled angrily to himself about waking up too early, but had to so that he could get breakfast ready as a surprise for Aiba. Stealthily taking a shower, he got dressed and headed downstairs to cook the said breakfast.

Aiba blinked as he woke up, not opening his eyes. He felt around for Shirota but didn't find him anywhere on the bed. _'Strange...he doesn't wake up early...'_ he thought as he opened his eyes.

_Yudan sezu ni ikou Oretachi wa mada mada  
__Ki wo hikishimete ikou Suki wo miseruna  
__Katsu ka makeru ka wa Tatakau mono no kokoro ga ke shidai_

The familiar tone of Shirota's **_'Yudan Sezu Ni Ikou'_** filtered out from his phone that was beneath his pillow. He felt around for it and looked at the screen, frowning at the unknown number. _'Who could it be at this time in the morning?'_ he wondered as he pressed the answer button.

"Aiba Hiroki..." he said sleepily.

'_Good Morning, Aibacchin...'_ a voice that sent shivers down Aiba's spine said.

"Who is this?" he asked warily, though he already had an idea.

_'Why don't you take a look outside to see for yourself?'_ the voice said with a slight chuckle.

Aiba stood up and moved slowly towards the window as he hesitatingly peeked through the blinds. He recognized the man standing just outside their house; how could he not when he just saw him last night, thanks to the video that the Hyoutei cast was able to supply. "M...Minami...Keisuke..." he said.

_'I'll see you at practices...Aibacchin... I look forward to working with you...'_ Minami said as he smirked at Aiba and waved a bit as he turned around, ended the call and left.

Aiba stared at him as he moved languidly down the street, not noticing that he had dropped his phone which clattered noisily on the wooden floor.

Indulging himself in the classic pancake and bacon breakfast, Shirota was pleased with the results and set the table once more before moving to get some juice on the table before heading upstairs to wake Aiba. He paused when he heard something fall to the ground and rushed into the room, finding Aiba at the window. Approaching him, apprehensive, Shirota bent down to retrieve the fallen item and placed a hand on the other boy's shoulder. "What happened?"

"Minami..." Aiba managed to say as he took a nervous glance at Shirota. "He was there...just outside our house..." he explained, visibly shaken.

-break-

Kimeru groaned. "I need to get started on breakfast..." he said as he freed his legs from the cloth.

Takigawa whined, muttering unfathomable things before reluctantly letting go.

Kimeru smiled as he finally stood up and went to the bathroom to do his morning rituals before heading off downstairs to start on breakfast.

-break-

Shirota's forehead creased, his insides burning in anger, his grip tightening on Aiba's cellphone.

Aiba stepped back, taking hold of Shirota's hand. "Come on..." he said. "I smell something good... did you make breakfast?" he asked, attempting to switch the subject.

Stirred out of his angered state, Shirota jumped at the sudden change of subject before noticing the state of the cell phone. Panicking, he slackened his grip and held it out to its owner. "Gomen..." he apologized before taking him down to the dining area. "Yes, it was meant to be a surprise, but you ended up surprising me."

Aiba smiled at him as they went down together. "We're going to be picked up by Kimeru-senpai at around 8:30 right?" he asked.

"Hai, meaning we have to hurry! After eating, you need to take a speed shower since it's already 7:45," Shirota said, hurrying Aiba forward down the stairs and into one of the seats.

Aiba smiled as he placed his phone on the table. "Huh?" he said as he examined the phone. "Yuu..." he said as he looked at Shirota with a questioning glance.

-break-

"Eiji! Hurry up! We have to pick up the lovebirds!" Kimeru called from downstairs.

Takigawa rushed with his shower, pulling his pants on whilst hopping on one foot before finding his footing and racing downstairs for breakfast before nearly tripping on Pearl.

-break-

Shirota slapped his hands together in front of him. "Hontou ni gomen!" he apologized again, bowing his head slightly. "It's still working, if you're wondering about that..."

-break-

Kimeru chuckled as he saw Takigawa almost trip on the dog. He smiled as Takigawa moved towards the table. "So...how was sandmanville, Eiji?" he teased.

-break-

Aiba sighed. "It's okay, Yuu," he reassured the older boy. "Now, let's go and finish breakfast before-"

_Yudan sezu ni ikou Oretachi wa mada mada  
__Ki wo hikishimete ikou Suki wo miseruna  
__Katsu ka makeru ka wa Tatakau mono no kokoro ga ke shidai_

Aiba's phone rang again and Aiba looked at the screen and saw that the number wasn't in his phone book but he recognized it. He stared at it, not making any move to answer it.

"Who's that?" Shirota inquired, halfway from devouring a piece of his pancake.

Aiba looked at the phone nervously, then at Shirota. "Him..." he said.

Shirota's eyes widened as he dropped his fork and moved forward in an attempt to seize the still-ringing phone.

"Yuu, don't-" Aiba said as he tried to reach the phone before Shirota did.

-break-

Takigawa massaged his ankle upon sitting down. Satisfied that it was going to be fine, he settled himself for the food. "I'm feeling refreshed now..." he simply replied. "Though I would've preferred that you stayed with me a little bit longer..."

Kimeru smirked. "You already had your fun yesterday, Eiji," he teased. "Now let's eat before we're accused of being late."

Takigawa sighed before resigning to his food, which lifted his spirits for some reason. "Have you been cooking more behind my back, Kime-kun?" he teased.

Kimeru smiled. "Maybe?" he said as he started eating.

Takigawa eagerly finished his breakfast before standing. "You'll have to tell me how you did this sometime. But for now, let's go," he said, moving to get Pearl his food in his dish and set it down where he ran up to digest it. Petting him on the head, he said, "We'll be back in a bit."

Kimeru smiled as he took Takigawa's plate along with his and placed it on the kitchen sink. "I'll take care of it later, for now let's fetch the two..." he said as he retrieved the keys. "I'm driving this time," he said with a grin as he went out.

"Hai, hai..." Takigawa said, following him out and proceeding to lock the house and getting into the passenger seat of their car.

-break-

Shirota managed to reach the phone but by the time he was going to answer it, the line was broken. Shirota groaned inwardly before returning to his seat. "Just missed him..." he muttered before picking up his abandoned fork and shoved the piece of pancake into his mouth.

Aiba sighed as he started to eat. "Yuu…" he said as he played with his fork. "Let's just not worry about it for the meantime okay?"

Shirota nodded wordlessly, still muttering things of what he would've said to Minami had their call gone through.

-break-

Kimeru smiled all the way to Shirota and Aiba's place. It wasn't until he turned at the corner heading in their street did something - or rather someone - caught his attention. "Eiji! Isn't that..." he said as the figure went in a car and drove away.

Takigawa had immediately noticed and nodded. "Aa. It was Minami."

-break-

Aiba finished his meal wordlessly, thinking about how Minami had acquired his information. When he and Shirota finished he silently moved to wash the dishes. He looked at the time and saw that they still had a bit more time. He sighed and went back to the dining room and placed his arms around Shirota.

Shirota leaned back on the backrest of his chair, resting one arm over the top of the backrest of another chair that Aiba took, moving his outstretched arm to rest on Aiba's shoulder, pressing him closer, his head resting on Aiba's before he gave off a huge sigh. "Why did he have to complicate things..?"

Aiba smiled bitterly. "That's what I want to know..." he answered quietly. "Ne… Yuu...you'll never leave me right?" he asked.

Shirota took up his free hand and used it to have Aiba face him before capturing his lips in a passionate kiss. "Of course I won't, Hiroki."

-break-

Kimeru frowned as he stopped the car in front of the other couple's house. "Do you think that they know about it?" he asked Takigawa.

Takigawa undid his seatbelt and opened the door. "Probably…" And with that, he went to collect the two as he moved to ring the doorbell.

-break-

Aiba, surprised a bit by the sound of the doorbell, pulled back.

"Oi! You two! Make out time is over!" Kimeru called from outside.

Aiba frowned and went over to the door, yanking it open; his natural attitude back in place. "Senpai..." he hissed, as Kimeru smirked triumphantly.

"I guess I was right," he said, as Aiba turned red.

Kimeru chuckled as he waved at them, "Come on. At this rate, the others might arrive before we do," he said as he waited for the three to get in.

Takigawa returned to the car with Shirota hustling forward and locking the house before getting into the car with Aiba in the back. Kimeru smiled as he drove off.

After a minute or two, the first cast Fuji actor frowned. "Shirotan... Eiji and I saw something interesting on the way to your place…" he started.

Aiba looked at him in shock as Kimeru glanced at him through the rear view mirror. "And I see that Aiba knows this as well."

"He called Aibacchin earlier this morning..." Shirota explained, keeping Aiba close.

Takigawa turned to the two. "What did he say?"

Aiba realized that he was the one supposed to answer as he looked at the two Tezuka's for a while. "He said that he was looking forward to practicing with me for the upcoming musicals...that's all," he answered.

"What strikes me as strange is...how did he get your number..?" Kimeru pondered to himself as he stopped at a red light.

Takigawa turned to Kimeru. "You don't suppose he's been secretly stalking Aiba, do you? Or perhaps got his information from Ueshima-sensai or any of the other cast members?" he thought out loud.

"Both are possibilities..." Kimeru admitted. "...and he's already getting annoying," he said as they reached their place. "Here we are," he announced as he shut the engine, turning to Takigawa. "See Eiji, I can make it without bumping into a stationary object!" he added with a grin.

Aiba chuckled as he got off. "Kimeru-senpai bumps into stationary objects?" he asked Takigawa.

Takigawa got out of the car and shrugged before reluctantly nodding. "At least once every time I let him drive," he replied. Shirota chuckled at this.

Kimeru frowned. "Well I didn't bump into anything this time..." he reasoned as he walked up to the door to open it. "Oh, and watch out for Pearl, she gets excited when new people come into the house," he warned as he pushed the door open.

"Senpai has a dog?" Aiba said as he walked alongside Shirota to get into the house.

Upon entering the house, Pearl had steamrolled over Takigawa before the man had managed to safely get the dog off him and away from jumping onto Shirota and Aiba unceremoniously.

-break-

Around half an hour later, the others arrived, along with a few from the Hyoutei cast.

"He was where during what?" Kenken burst out as Aiba finished retelling the story of what happened during the morning.

"Is he a stalker or something?" Ruito added. "You should give him a piece of your mind when you see him, Shirota-san!" the youngest member of the cast declared with a frown.

Shirota nodded. "I would've if I had gotten to Aibacchin's phone earlier..." he replied.

Takumi frowned. "Ueshima-sensei doesn't give out phone-" he paused before turning to his partner. "Ruito... When did you lose your phone again?" he asked suddenly.

Rui blinked. "Uhh... Two nights ago when we were following Mina...mi..." he finished, realizing what happened. "He has my phone?" he growled. "That jerk! I'm going to-" he said as he stood up, but Takumi pulled him to his lap.

"Now, now, Ruito... Happy thoughts… Don't let the teenage angst get over you..." he said with a grin. Ruito blushed but fell silent nonetheless.

Aiba blinked. "...Whoa... You managed to get him to shut up…" he said, impressed.

"Going back to the conversation..." Kimeru said. "What are we going to do about Minami?" he asked.

The doorbell suddenly rang. "Huh? Who could that be?" Kato Kazuki, Hyoutei's Atobe actor, stated as he looked around. "We're all here..."

Kimeru frowned as he walked up to the door and opened it. "Who is-"

"Ohayou , Kimeru-senpai," Minami greeted with a grin.

Several Hyoutei boys stood up and stepped in front of Aiba while some of the Seigaku cast members went behind Shirota to stop him from what he might do.

"How did you know where..?" Kimeru began but Minami merely smirked.

"I found the information here..." he answered as he held up a pink phone.

"That's my phone!" Ruito exclaimed. "Give it back!" he demanded.

Minami smirked. "May I?" he asked Kimeru. The man nodded slowly, eyes not leaving the newest Tezuka actor as he moved forward. "Here you go, Rui-chan," he said as he handed the phone to Rui. All eyes on him were apprehensive. "Oh, Aibacchin, I was looking for you, what a coincidence," he said with a smile. Kimeru moved to the side table to retrieve a hair iron that happened to be there.

Pearl rushed forward and was barking at Minami, followed not long after by Takigawa, who had the task of restraining the dog. Upon realizing who was being barked at, Takigawa narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing here?" he asked, drowning out Shirota's bursts of 'Let me go!' and 'Let me at 'im!' as he tried to get free of the various arms keeping him back from pouncing onto Minami.

Minami smiled and bowed politely at Takigawa. "I just came to return Ruito-san's phone," he explained, changing honorifics. "And I was wondering if I could borrow Aiba-san for a while to ask something about the upcoming Myu," he added.

"Over our dead and rotting bodies!" Ruito growled, followed by a nod from Kenken.

The Seigaku actors who had their hold on Shirota seemed to increase when the boy in captivity was showing some progress of escaping their hold when Minami had mentioned on borrowing Aiba.

"LET ME GO!" Shirota exclaimed, thrashing under the grip of nearly all of the two Seigaku casts combined.

"If it's about the Myu, then you can ask it in front of us," Kimeru reasoned out as his hand gripped the hair iron.

Minami smiled. "Very well, then. Ueshima-sensei wanted you to orient us, Aiba-san. He wanted you to help us ease into our characters," he answered. "And he had also partnered us up for the practices," he took a step forward. "And I was wondering when we could start," he finished with a smirk.

Kimeru growled under his breath. _'Openly hitting on Aiba...he's asking for it..!'_ he thought angrily to himself as he moved forward.

Nagayan immediately grabbed his arms. "Kimeru! No!" he said.

Kimeru glared at Minami. "Is that all you have to say?" he asked.

"I need Aiba's response, Kimeru-senpai," Minami answered coolly.

Aiba looked at him and glanced at Shirota. "I..." he started before returning his gaze to Minami. "I don't think that what you said is true because knowing Ueshima-sensei, he would have already oriented you himself... and Ueshima-sensei doesn't partner the actors up..." he answered.

"That's right!" agreed the others, some merely nodding in agreement.

Takigawa noticed the rage in Shirota's eyes. "You can start when practices begin. There's no need to rush things," he replied for Aiba.

Minami nodded. "I'll see you then, everyone," he said with a bow. "And I look forward to the practices…Aibacchin," he said as he moved closer. Aiba froze and the Hyoutei boys advanced. But before anyone could do anything he kissed Aiba on the cheek before immediately turning around to leave.

Kimeru was still held down by Nagayan as Minami left the house, no one letting go of who or what they were holding on to until they heard a car start up and leave. Only then did Nagayan let go of Kimeru, and the Seigaku boys released their hold on Shirota, who moved immediately towards Aiba.

Takigawa sighed, bending down and attending to Pearl, quieting her barks of anger.

"That brat...he even called Aiba 'Aibacchin'..." Kujirai said with an angry hiss as he looked at Aiba. "You okay, Aiba?" he asked his eyes widened when he saw Aiba sway dangerously.

Aiba fell to his knees, which were threatening to give out since Kimeru opened the door, shaking.

"Aiba!" various voices called out at once. It wasn't until Aiba had somehow fainted did Shirota quickly catch him to break his fall.

"Hiro-kun!" he exclaimed, his emotions divided between his anger towards Minami and his love for Aiba that he didn't know how to handle the situation.

Kimeru closed his eyes and counted to ten, willing his anger away. "Shirota, take Aiba upstairs. I want the two of you to rest," he said. "The rest of us will evaluate what the hell happened," he finished as he sat on the couch.

Shirota turned to Kimeru, for a moment wanting to stay to discuss what his intentions with Minami were before silently nodding and carried Aiba upstairs.

"I should've stayed with you, Hiro-kun..." he stated quietly as he set his lover down on the bed he assumed belonged to Kimeru and Takigawa-senpai. "Gomen..."

Shirota had gotten onto the bed with Aiba, bringing a protective arm over Aiba as his other hand stroked through the boy's hair. It wasn't long before Shirota kissed him on the cheek before falling asleep.

-break-

Kazuki frowned. "That guy... He's more suited to be an Atobe then a Tezuka," he said.

Kenken nodded. "He even had the nerve to do that with everyone ready to attack him," he added.

Kimeru sighed. "Any suggestions on how we can help the two?" he asked the group.

"He's giving Shirotan more reasons to hate him," Yanagi piped up. "Doing what he did to Aibacchin..."

Kimeru nodded. "That's true..."

"And I've never seen Aiba freak out like this... It's the first time I've seen him this vulnerable..." Konii said. "Aah… He's always been the strong one..."

"Which brings up my question... Is there something that happened before?" Kimeru asked. "I mean... Aiba immediately reacted to Minami being Tezuka even before he knew of his intentions..." he reasoned. "Who knows anything?"

"I know someone," Kazuki said and everyone looked at him. "TAKUYA...he's been with Aibacchin since their BRIGHTS days. If someone knows something that we don't about Aiba it would probably be him," he said.

"Then what the heck are we waiting for?" Kenken said impatiently.

-break-

Half an hour later, TAKUYA, Hyoutei's Jiroh actor, had arrived. "Err... Hi?" he greeted as Kimeru let him in.

"You know, it could be because Aiba's already found Shirota. The fact that he was forced to stay on and work with another Tezuka unsettles him," Takigawa offered as TAKUYA was shown into the packed living room.

"A-re? Aiba? Shirota?" TAKUYA said, looking around in confusion. Kimeru smiled at him.

"Tell me, TAKUYA-kun...does the name Minami Keisuke ring a bell?" Takigawa asked.

TAKUYA's confused expression turned to a frown. "What about him?" he asked ruefully. The rest were taken aback by the sudden change in the usually cheerful boy's expression.

"...How is he connected with Aiba?" Aoyama asked.

"He's here?" TAKUYA said in alarm, looking around frantically.

Kimeru, startled by the outburst, approached TAKUYA. "He's the third cast Tezuka...and Aiba is still in the third cast," he explained.

TAKUYA tensed. "Keep him away from Aiba!" he said suddenly.

"Why?" Kimeru asked, the rest of the cast watching this scene.

"Minami...He used to be a friend of ours before we formed BRIGHTS...He was supposed to be part of the group when..." TAKUYA said, biting his bottom lip, unsure if he should go on.

-break-

Aiba started to become restless in his sleep. "No...Stay away..." he muttered, turning around and sweating cold sweat. He subconsciously fought against Shirota's hold on him. "No..." he muttered as he began to thrash around. "No...Minami..."

Shirota, slightly aroused by Aiba's movements, tried to calm the boy down. Shirota brought up his hand and took Aiba's cheek to make him face him. "Hiro-kun..." he muttered. "Everything will be alright... Sshh..."

-break-

"When what?" Kaji inquired, shifting in his seat on the couch.

TAKUYA's hands curled up into fists as they began to shake. "He...He..." he started.

Kazuki went to him and placed an arm around him. "He what, TAKUYA?" he asked. "Please tell us..." he added.

"He... touched Aiba... in ways he shouldn't have," he said finally.

Kimeru felt the urge to sit down as he took a few steps back, getting a bit dizzy. Takigawa moved to catch Kimeru before he fell, his knees nearly buckling beneath him had he not kept his composure.

The room plunged into silence, broken only by the soft whines of Pearl.

"S-sorry about that..." Kimeru apologized as he tried to steady himself. "...Minami Keisuke...should we tell Shirota?" he asked, not able to make any more decisions.

-break-

"No! Yuu!" Aiba yelled as he started to thrash even more. "Yuu! Help...please..!" he called out, voice starting to crack. "No...Minami..."

Shirota leaned forward and stole a long kiss from Aiba, silencing him immediately.

Aiba's eyes snapped open as he pulled away a bit and looked at Shirota. "Y-Yuu..." he said before taking hold of him, before he started to sob.

-break-

Adachi, who came from the bathroom upstairs, heard this and knocked. "Shirotan? Aibacchin? Everything okay in there?" he asked in worry.

-break-

Startled by the sudden knock on the door, Shirota made a move to sit up before calling out, "We're fine!" while trying to calm Aiba down and settling back to lie down, pulling him close into a protective embrace.

-break-

"If we do, it'll just give Shirota yet another reason to dispose of Minami. If we don't, he'll be finding it out some other way, I suspect..." Takigawa noted.

"One thing's for sure... We can't leave Aiba alone with the third cast..." Endo said as Moriyama agreed.

"We can't do that...we just can't," he said, using his Momo voice.

Adachi rejoined the group. "Aibacchin woke up...I think I heard him crying," he said.

Kimeru sighed. "Let's not disturb them for now…" he said.

-break-

Aiba's sobs soon died down, but his grip on Shirota never slackened. "I... I remember now..." he said carefully. "I remember...Minami Keisuke..." he said.

Shirota raised his eyebrows, hesitant to ask. Instead, he kissed Aiba's forehead and allowed him to rest his head on his chest. "I won't give you up, Hiro-kun... Never... Especially to _him_..." he declared.

Aiba nodded gratefully. "Arigatou ... Yuu..." he said.

-break-

After a few more minutes Kimeru went upstairs. "Shirota? Aiba? It's time for lunch. Come down, everyone is worried about you two," he said quietly as he came into the room.

Aiba looked up. "Hai, senpai..." he answered.

Kimeru sighed as he went beside his junior, suddenly pulling him into an embrace. "We're here Aiba…okay?" he said, he quickly pulled away and stood. "Hurry up, 'kay?" he said as he went back out, leaving Aiba blinking at the doorway.

Shirota sat up, stifling a yawn before rubbing through his hair. "Do we really have to go downstairs?" he whined suddenly.

-break-

Takigawa directed everybody to the dining table as soon as he was done setting the food they had ordered there.

Kimeru rejoined the group downstairs. "They'll be going down in a bit... I hope," he said.

Takigawa, who was by the foot of the stairs, nodded before he returned his attention to the group indulging in the food, some fighting over a particular piece of sushi.

-break-

Aiba chuckled. "Of course we do. Now come on before they accuse us of doing something inappropriate on our senpais bed," he said as he stood.

Shirota groaned in protest but stood, allowing himself to be led downstairs by Aiba.

"TAKUYA?" Aiba said a bit surprised as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Aibacchin! Kazuki called me and told me there was a reunion or something so I came over!" he lied perfectly.

Aiba smiled. "Really?" he said, not entirely buying it. "That's great! I haven't seen you in a while!"

The day went on, almost as if nothing had happened earlier on. Soon, the others left and Kimeru and Takigawa had offered to drive Shirota and Aiba back home. After much insisting from Kimeru, the second cast TezukaxFuji pair did end up being driven home.

++break++

The next few days passed by smoothly; Minami didn't stir up any trouble, but it made the others suspicious. But as long as Shirota and Aiba were okay, they thought that it would be fine.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

We look forward to your reviews and possible suggestions. :)


	3. The Feuds of Love over a Piece of Cake

**Title:** Anything for You

**Author/Artist: **snooperj & Bloodysamurai

**Series/Pairing(s):** TeniMyu; Mainly Takigawa Eiji x Kimeru & Shirota Yuu x Aiba Hiroki

**Notes:** Here is the 3rd chapter entitled **The Feuds of Love over a Piece of Cake**. This is by far the shortest of the chapters we've completed, only 8 pages in length in MS Word. We only go through a day (May 12, 2006, to be exact) in this chapter, which also happens to be a special day!

**ALSO! None of the authors of this roleplay/fanfic own TeniMyu or the actors, but are mere fangirls of the musical series and corresponding actors we write about. Everything that progresses in the story are the creation of our witty imaginations.

* * *

+++May 12, 2006+++

Friday morning strolled on by; a seemingly ordinary day would be greeting both pairs.

-break-

"Yuu! I'm going to the grocery! Would you want me to get you anything?" Aiba called out as he put on a shirt.

Shirota replied, "I'll go with you!" He made his way back inside from the backyard and went in search for Aiba. _'Even if that Minami person hasn't been bothering us, I don't want to give him the opportunity to be alone with Aibacchin...'_ he thought to himself.

-break-

In Takigawa and Kimeru's house, however, Takigawa was in bed, sick with the flu for the past 3 days, coupled with a broken foot caused by a mix of Pearl and the stairs. He uneasily shifted in bed, unable to find a comfortable position.

**_5 days ago, Takigawa was feeling uneasy as he moved around in the second floor before he made to go downstairs. At the foot of the stairs, Pearl was making her way up to greet Takigawa before the two had an unfortunate collision as Takigawa failed to spot Pearl, despite Kimeru's sudden warning from the foot of the stairs. Takigawa fell face forward and rolled down the stairs, clutching his foot in pain as Pearl whined, moving back down to the ground floor._**

Pearl entered the room, sympathetic, as if knowing fully that she had been responsible and moved up to the bedside before jumping onto the bed, deciding to snuggle up to Takigawa, seeking affection.

Takigawa stirred slightly, spotting the dog and wordlessly stroked her behind the ears.

-break-

"Huh?" Aiba said. "Okay..." he said slowly. He was wondering why Shirota wanted to go with him since he usually went to the grocery alone. Then again, it was a nice change in the routine. He waited patiently by the door. He then remembered something. "Maybe we can go visit Takigawa-senpai after," he said. "And get a few things for them as well since I don't think Kime-senpai would be able to go out for a long period of time," he added.

Promptly after washing his hands and changing his shirt, Shirota moved to the door where Aiba was waiting before nodding in agreement. "Sure, it's the least we can do," he replied cheerfully.

-break-

Kimeru opened the door to their room, carrying a tray of food. He smiled when he saw Pearl on the bed. "Pearl, you have to get out now," he told the dog as he sat on the side of the bed, "I have to feed your master." he added with a grin.

Pearl whined before hopping off the bed and leaving the room as ordered. Takigawa made a move to sit up, dragging his legs with him before sneezing. "Sorry for causing you so much trouble, Kime-kun..." he apologized for the umpteenth time.

Kimeru shook his head. "It's no problem. Besides, it gives me an excuse to treat you like a prince now, doesn't it?" he said happily as he took out an electronic thermometer and checked Takigawa's temperature. He frowned when he saw that it was 39.7°. "The doctor said that you'll be running a fever for a few days but your temperature is ridiculous," he said with a sigh.

Takigawa coughed after Kimeru had taken his temperature, more because of what he said than how he was feeling. "I would end up here anyway... Whether it was... the flu or my foot," he explained.

Kimeru chuckled, placing the tray on the side table and took the plate. "Now be a good boy and let mommy feed you so you can take your meds," he chirped, obviously enjoying the situation. Takigawa obeyed before he opened his mouth to take in whatever food Kimeru had prepared for him. "Regardless of your injury... You'd still end up in that bed today anyway..." Kimeru said as he continued to feed Takigawa. "Unless...you forgot what today is…" he said with a pause.

-break-

Aiba smiled as he and Shirota went out of the house, making sure that the door was locked before slipping his hand in Shirota's and intertwining their fingers. "Let's go," he said with a smile.

Shirota smiled and took up their hands, kissing the back of Aiba's palm before they headed off to the grocery. Aiba smiled; a few people noticed them on the way to the grocery but they were polite enough not to bother the two.

As soon as they arrived at the grocery, Aiba took out a list. "Let's see..." he said. "After we get these things... What do you think we should get for the senpais?" he inquired.

Shirota moved to retrieve a grocery cart for the pair and thought about it as they started browsing through the aisles. "Some matching jewelry or something similar, I'd suggest," he piped up after a while.

"That could work, I guess..." Aiba said.

-break-

Takigawa coughed on his food, pounding his chest at Kimeru's words before shaking his head. "How could I forget?" he teased, managing a smirk as he outstretched his arm and tipped Kimeru's chin, diverting him from preparing the next spoonful of food.

Kimeru stopped as and looked at Takigawa, blushing faintly. "F-finish your food," he said distractedly, leaning back a bit to stop Takigawa from whatever he was going to do.

After feeding the older man, Kimeru stood up. "Now go and rest while I get you your medicine," he said with a smile as he left the room. As soon as the door closed his smile was replaced with a frown. _'Of all the days...argh!'_ he thought in frustration. He looked at Pearl who was waiting by the door; the dog ran inside, whining as soon as Kimeru went out.

Takigawa sat in silence as he watched Kimeru leave the room and Pearl came rushing in, whining and jumping back onto the bed. "What happened?" Takigawa asked the dog, oblivious to Kimeru's feelings towards the day.

-break-

After finishing the grocery and buying their gifts for the other pair, along with a cake, they headed to the Takigawa residence. Aiba rang the doorbell.

-break-

"I'll get that!" Kimeru called from the kitchen.

"Senpai! We got you something for your anniv-" Aiba said, Kimeru already making a move to slam the door. "I got you a new hair iron!" Aiba added quickly.

"Why didn't you say so?" Kimeru replied, smiling again. "Come in, come in!" he said, pulling the door open once more as he ushered them inside, leading them into the kitchen.

Aiba stepped in first and signaled Shirota behind his back.

Shirota had a slice of chocolate cake behind his back - their present that was intended for Takigawa-senpai - and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "I just need to use the bathroom," he announced.

"We brought some cake, senpai," Aiba said with a smile as he placed the said pastry on the kitchen table.

"I'm afraid that Eiji isn't allowed to have any," Kimeru said with a suspicious glance at Aiba, who looked a bit surprised.

He knew Takigawa wasn't allowed to have any...but...he IS an actor after all. "That's too bad, senpai. But it means you can have it all to yourself now," Aiba teased.

Kimeru smiled. "True."

-break-

Shirota stealthily moved upstairs two steps at a time as soon as Kimeru and Aiba moved into the kitchen. Shirota popped his head into Takigawa and Kimeru's room to find the injured first cast Tezuka with Pearl by his side.

"Shirotan? What are you-"

Shirota placed a finger against his lips as he moved further into the room, revealing the slice of cake. "This is for you," he explained with a hushed voice.

Upon seeing the slice of delicious chocolate cake peering out from the plastic box, Takigawa's eye twitched before he instructed hoarsely, "Lock the door."

Pearl watched enthusiastically, her tongue hanging out, somehow famished by the sight of edible food.

-break-

"Let's go and show Eiji that you're here, ne?" Kimeru said as he moved to get out of the kitchen.

_'Ah! No good!'_ Aiba thought as he moved in front of his senpai. "S-senpai! There's something else I want to show you! It's for you and Takigawa-senpai!" he said as he pulled out their gift - matching necklaces.

"You and Shirotan shouldn't have. Let's show it to Ei-" Before Kimeru finished his sentence, the container of sugar, which was behind him, suddenly fell over, spilling some of its contents. "...Let me clean this up first..." he said as he looked around for a rag.

-break-

Shirota moved to lock the door before taking Kimeru's abandoned seat and opened the box for Takigawa and handed him the fork that came with it.

"Do you expect me to be feeding myself in this condition?" Takigawa asked pointedly.

Shirota blinked before reluctantly stabbing the fork in the cake and fed the piece to his senpai in silence.

-break-

"A-re? That's strange... Aiba... could you get that while I clean up over here?" Kimeru said as he pointed to the spilled coffee.

Aiba smiled nervously as he moved around the kitchen.

After a few minutes, the two had cleaned up the spilt sugar and coffee. "There! Now let's go to Eiji!" Kimeru said in satisfaction as he took his leave from the kitchen.

_'Oh no!'_ Aiba thought in panic as Kimeru went upstairs.

-break-

Takigawa had eaten the cake quite eagerly before Shirota heard some footsteps coming upstairs.

_'Shimatta!'_ Shirota thought in alarm before standing up, wondering where to throw the box. Pearl barked towards the window and in desperation, Shirota threw it out the window.

"The door!" Takigawa hissed, wiping his mouth free of any remains of the cake as Shirota rushed to unlock the door.

Kimeru's hand was on the door knob when Shirota unlocked it, Aiba followed behind, sighing inwardly with relief.

-break-

Kazuki was jogging down the street when something hit his head. "What the..?" he said when he looked at a small box, of what seems to be a cake container on the floor. He looked up and wondered how it got there in first place; he shrugged as he picked up the container and threw it away like any good citizen would do.

-break-

Meanwhile, back in the room, Kimeru frowned. "Shirota? I thought you were going to the bathroom downstairs...and why is the window open?" he asked.

"There was a bathroom downstairs?" Shirota asked with a nervous chuckle. "Gomen, but I didn't know. I came to see Takigawa-senpai afterwards."

"And it was getting a bit stuffy in here so I asked him to open the window," Takigawa explained.

"I see..." Kimeru said skeptically as he moved forward and sat on the side of the bed. "Look what they got us," he added, suddenly smiling as he showed him the necklaces.

Aiba motioned for Shirota to step back, sensing that something was about to happen.

Takigawa smiled and moved to take one. "That's a sweet gesture. Arigatou, futari-tomo," he stated, nodding to the two.

Shirota moved towards Aiba, nodding to his senpai in return.

Kimeru, expert in doing the unexpected, leaned down suddenly and kissed Takigawa, despite the fact that the latter was sick. "I knew it..." he said with a glare as he pulled away. He stood and glared at Shirota. "You gave him cake..." he said as he advanced on the two.

Aiba pulled his beloved back with him. "A-no..." he started.

Kimeru stopped by the door and looked at Takigawa over his shoulder. "You, Mister... are a dead man," he hissed as he shut the door behind him.

Takigawa was pale before sighing in defeat, Pearl hiding her head under the blanket in equal fear.

"Gomen, Kimeru-senpai! Shitsurei shimasu!" Shirota apologized as soon as the door was closed, bowing low before taking Aiba with him and charged full speed down the stairs and out the front door.

Aiba let himself be dragged outside. "I knew we should have brought a mint..." he muttered. He then remembered the scene he saw before dashing out of the house. "Man, did that look hot..." he muttered, his eyes widened when he realized what he just said and covered his mouth with his hands.

Shirota blinked as he turned to Aiba. "What?"

"N-nothing..." Aiba said as he started to walk.

-break-

Kimeru returned to the room moments later. "Pearl...food's downstairs..." he said as he opened the door, not revealing himself. He waited for the dog to go outside.

"Kime-kun..." Takigawa began, wincing when he tried moving his foot off the bed but only caused him pain. Of course the man had the thought of getting out of the room, but his foot - or even his current sickness - didn't allow him that privilege. "I can explain..."

"Oh, don't mind it, Eiji… It's just this once, after all," Kimeru's said as he slowly stepped into view. "Sorry, I had to change since there was sugar and coffee all over the shirt I wore earlier... and since I'm not yet done with the laundry...I had to wear what Nagayan gave me for our anniversary last year," he said as he went in, pulling the door closed behind him and locking the door behind him with a very audible click.

Takigawa twitched, exerting a bit more effort to place his foot back on the bed to distract him of the thoughts of strangling Nagayama.

Kimeru smiled as he languidly went toward Takigawa. "Let me help you with that..." he said as he assisted Takigawa to get his foot back on the bed, letting his hand trail up a bit. "Does it hurt?" he asked.

Takigawa winced before feeling a tingling sensation; Kimeru's hand rode up his leg as he stiffly nodded.

Kimeru massaged the part not covered by the cast. "It's the least I can do for now…" he said, smirking inwardly, as he moved a bit closer to Takigawa.

"Are you sure it's fine, Kime-kun?" Takigawa asked hesitantly.

"What is?" Kimeru asked. "I'm just concerned for your leg…" he said as he moved closer, his face less than an inch away from Takigawa's "After all...you can't move much, ne?" he said as the hand that was on Takigawa's leg continued to trail upwards.

Heat played on Takigawa's cheeks before reluctantly nodding again, tempted to capture the other man's lips with his, but found himself unable to as his entire body seemed to start trembling from inaction.

Kimeru smiled. "Well then..." he said, hand playing on a certain area. "...I would have to..." he said with a small smirk, moving closer. "...say that..." closer... "I hope you feel much better tomorrow," he finished as he moved away and laid on his side of the bed, turning his back on Takigawa. He chuckled evilly inside.

Takigawa let out a shuddered breath, feeling unable to neither move nor get his eyes to shut after what had just happened. With difficulty, he shifted to lie on his side, his back facing Kimeru as he tried to find sleep. "Gomen... Kime-kun..." he muttered just loud enough for the other man to hear.

-break-

Meanwhile, Shirota and Aiba had arrived back home, took quick showers before slipping into bed.

"Ne...Yuu…" Aiba said carefully.

"What's up?" Shirota inquired.

"A-no..." Aiba started, unsure whether to continue. "We haven't for a while... And I was wondering if..."

Shirota moved to face Aiba on the bed. "Did you want to?" he asked slyly.

-break-

Kimeru sighed. _'I guess that's enough punishment for one slice of cake...'_ he thought as he faced Takigawa. "Next time, don't eat what you're not supposed to okay?" he said as he moved closer to Takigawa and embraced him, making sure that he didn't hit the injured leg.

"Aa..." he replied soundly. "But the cake was too hard to resist..." he mumbled more to himself than to Kimeru.

Kimeru frowned. "Want me to get what Sota gave me for Valentine's Day?" he asked with a warning tone in his voice.

"Please, don't...!" Takigawa replied, shuddering once more at the mere thought of it.

Kimeru chuckled before closing his eyes. "Now be a good boy and go to sleep," he said.

-break-

Aiba blushed. "Well...I..." he stuttered out. "...sort off…"

"You didn't have to ask, you know..." Shirota stated as he placed his hand on Aiba's cheek and pressed his lips to his own before his other hand began exploring Aiba's body.

"Well I wouldn't-mmmph!" Aiba said as he was cut off by Shirota.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED.

We look forward to your reviews and possible suggestions. :)


	4. Because I Care

**Title:** Anything for You

**Author/Artist: **snooperj & Bloodysamurai

**Series/Pairing(s):** TeniMyu; Mainly Takigawa Eiji x Kimeru & Shirota Yuu x Aiba Hiroki

**Notes:** Here is the 4th chapter entitled **Because I Care**. This chapter focuses on the pair of Shirota and Aiba, where we bring the Minami Keisuke arc to a close. We will see the drama that unfolds when Shirota tries to keep Aiba safe from Minami's hands. A climactic plot, however, can never go with some light drama and comedy provided by the pair of Takigawa and Kimeru. This chapter runs from May 23 – June 13, 2006.

**ALSO! None of the authors of this roleplay/fanfic own TeniMyu or the actors, but are mere fangirls of the musical series and corresponding actors we write about. Everything that progresses in the story are the creation of our witty imaginations.

* * *

+++May 23, 2006+++

A few weeks later, the doorbell rang in the Shirota-Aiba residence. "Yuu, can you get that? I'm in the shower!" Aiba called from upstairs.

"Hai, hai!" Shirota called in reply as he went to the front door to open it.

-break-

Kimeru smiled as he got off the car. They were currently in front of the hospital for Takigawa's check up.

Takigawa, with the assistance of crutches, got out of the car and was accompanied by Kimeru as they both headed inside.

-break-

When Shirota opened the door, Minami along with the rest of the third cast greeted him. "Ohayou, Shirota-san," he said calmly.

Shirota's eye twitched before he slammed the door again and stalked back into the house. "He dares to come by when practices are still a week away? Ridiculous..." Shirota muttered to himself.

-break-

The doctor looked at the x-ray and made a low humming sound. "You're healing up pretty well... I would advise you to stay put a bit more for the next few weeks until I can remove that cast. Until then..." he said as he glanced at the two. "Try not to overexert yourself," he reminded.

Takigawa nodded. "I will. Arigatou gozaimasu."

"Hai~ I'll take care of him," Kimeru said with a smile as he bowed. "Arigatou." He then helped Takigawa out of the hospital, holding the results and humming the tune of _**'Make You Free'**_ quite happily.

"So what are our plans for today?" Takigawa asked.

"Home, where else?" Kimeru said. "You heard the doctor...it's just rest and more rest for you," he added as he opened the door for Takigawa to get in.

Takigawa shrugged. "Hai, hai..." he replied as he moved into the back seat, laying the crutches on the floor.

Kimeru smiled as he got into the driver seat and drove home.

-break-

"Who was it?" Aiba called out from upstairs.

"Just the mailman!" Shirota replied, heading upstairs.

"Oh. Was there anything useful that came in?" Aiba asked as he stepped out of the bathroom and opened a closet.

"Not really..." Shirota replied.

"Let's see... Which shall I use today..?" he wondered, looking inside.

Shirota paused when he noticed that Aiba was looking into the closet the younger boy had clearly told him not to open. Curiosity getting the better of him, Shirota peered through the door and tried to get a view of what was inside. The Tezuka actor paled at the sight before he quickly retracted his head from the door and brought a hand to his chest, controlling his breathing. _'Who keeps closet full of hair irons?' _Shirota moved downstairs, finding something to take his mind off the cluster of hair irons Aiba had in storage.

Aiba smirked when he noticed Shirota look through the slightly open door. _'Just as I planned,'_ he thought sadistically as he pulled out a hair iron. He finished getting dressed and looked at himself in the mirror. "Not bad, if I may say so myself," he commented with a smile.

-break-

Takigawa leaned on the door, silence filling the car as they started off back to their place of residence. _'It won't be long...'_ he told himself as he looked over to Kimeru. _'Then I can properly take you out to celebrate our anniversary as I originally planned...'_

Kimeru chuckled. "Hey, why are you staring?" he asked, looking at Takigawa through the rear view mirror.

Takigawa was shaken from his thoughts before he shook his head. "N...Nothing..." he replied. _'I'll just let it be a surprise...'_ he told himself firmly.

"Alright," Kimeru said as he turned sharply around a corner.

-break-

Aiba went downstairs, doing a little dance step as he went into the living room. "Eh? You look pale, Yuu," he said. "Something wrong?" he asked.

Shirota was attending to a little bonsai that was on the coffee table in front of him. His hands were evidently shaking. "It's nothing, Hiro-kun," he replied nervously.

"Okay..." Aiba said as he noticed something by the door. "You forgot this one letter, Yuu," he said as he opened the envelope and frowned. "Practices start next week... I almost forgot…" he said.

"I know..." Shirota replied, being reminded of Minami's appearance at the door just moments before.

Aiba sat down next to Shirota and placed his arms around the other's waist. "Do you have anything scheduled for tomorrow?" he asked.

Shirota leaned back and placed an arm over Aiba's shoulders. "No, but the day after tomorrow I have a photo shoot to attend to. Gomen"

"That's okay; Kazuki will be there anyway..." Aiba said with a smile. "So don't worry about anything and do your best at the photo shoot, 'kay?"

"Do you want to come with me to my photo shoot?" Shirota offered with a grin.

"If Ueshima-sensei would let us go early then I'd love to." Aiba answered.

"It's decided then. I'll pick you up, then!" Shirota stated happily.

"Hai~" Aiba said with a smile.

-break-

It wasn't long before they had arrived at the house as Takigawa got out and went inside after Kimeru had opened the door, Pearl running forward and stopped, knowing her boundaries, especially with Takigawa.

"Hello, Pearl," Takigawa stated, smiling warmly at her.

Kimeru looked at the two and nodded to himself, satisfied that Pearl wouldn't jump on Takigawa he went straight to their room to lie down. _'Not allowed to overexert...damn it...'_ he thought bitterly.

-break-

Takigawa moved to the nearest sofa and sat down, tossing a throw pillow on the coffee table and propped his foot up before leaning back, Pearl following him as she leaned on his outstretched leg as he began stroking her under the ear.

-break-

Kimeru buried his face in the pillow. "This is getting frustrating..." he muttered into it.

-break-

Takigawa pondered on what to do to pass the time, for a moment wondering where Kimeru had gone off to.

-break-

Kimeru looked up and saw a picture of himself and Takigawa, during one of their musicals way back when, on the bedside table. He sighed. "Eiji..."

At about the same moment, Takigawa spotted a photograph on the table and reached forward to get it as he leaned back on the sofa and examined it. This one was of himself and Kimeru shortly after Dream Live 1st.

+++May 30, 2006+++

The days passed by quickly; Aiba had a blast at Shirota's photo shoot a few days ago and looked forward for the next. Presently, the TeniMyu practices had started. Aiba looked around the room; he sat with the Hyoutei boys for now.

"So… since the cast of Seigaku except for Aiba is new, today we'll just have a little 'Getting to know each other' activity," Ueshima explained as be brought out a crate of beer.

Aiba's eyes widened. "Ueshima-sensei, we didn't do that before," he stated.

Ueshima smiled. "Of course, since we had a minor...who isn't a minor anymore," he answered as he looked at Ruito.

Minami smirked. i_'This could be a good opportunity...'_ he thought.

Ueshima paused, suddenly remembered something. "Aah, one other thing. We have a guest from the second cast who's visiting us today," he announced before Shirota entered the room. "Minna, you all know TeniMyu's second Tezuka actor Shirota Yuu. Kouhais, please give him your respect," Ueshima called.

Shirota nodded to Ueshima and to the group at large as well.

"Yuu…" Aiba said as he stared at Shirota _'I thought he had a photo shoot today...'_ he thought.

Minami muttered darkly under his breath.

Shirota moved beside Aiba, smiling over to him. "I cleared my schedule today so I could come and visit. Does it bother you?" Shirota teased, whispering over to him.

Aiba smiled at him. "No, not a bit," he said as he intertwined his fingers with Shirota.

-break-

Takigawa found himself on the bed, moving to sit up before a sharp pain jolted from his foot as he tried to move it. _'I forgot about that…'_ he cursed to himself.

-break-

Minami glared at the other Tezuka actor before facing Sakurada beside him. "He wasn't supposed to be here…" he whispered.

Sakurada sighed, "Well, he's already here. What else can we do?" he answered.

Ueshima passed a bottle of beer to everyone and smiled. "To start off this team building activity, we will begin with the classic game of 'Truth or Dare.' I'll start it. Sakurada-kun. Truth or dare?"

Sakurada looked at Ueshima carefully. "...Truth…" he said after much deliberation.

"Sakurada-kun, do you have a girlfriend?" Ueshima asked teasingly.

_'TeniMyu rule Number 65: 'As much as possible, no distractions.' So why would I want a girlfriend? As if I want one anyway...damn I sound like Ibu from Fudomine...'_ Sakurada thought. "No." he answered plainly.

"Hmm...Kazuki-senpai. Truth or Dare?" he asked.

"Ore-sama picks truth," Kazuki said, getting into Atobe's character. Sakurada rolled his eyes.

"Are you going out with anyone from the cast?" he asked.

Kazuki smirked and leaned over to TAKUYA and kissed him on the cheek. "That a good enough answer?" he asked, Sakurada tugged his cap down and nodded. "Very well... Minami-kun... Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," Minami said with a smirk.

Kazuki thought for a moment, taking a swig of the beer. "I dare you to..." he began. "...do a chicken dance, complete with a song of your choice."

Minami blinked. "The hell?" he said as his cast mates started laughing at him. He muttered darkly to himself and stood up and began the chicken dance while singing _**'Banana no Namida'**_.

Once he was finished humiliating himself, he sat back down. "Shirota-senpai, truth or dare?" he said.

Shirota raised an eyebrow, not expecting to be part of the game, much less having Minami be the one to decide for him. "Truth," he replied.

Minami smirked as he adjusted in his seat. "You and Aiba-senpai..." he said as he glanced at Ueshima and decided to change his question. "What is the real reason why you came here?" he asked.

_'Asking me the obvious for the sake of acting curious in front of the others, huh?'_ Shirota thought darkly. "Besides obviously coming to visit and meet the third cast, you mean? Well..." Shirota took Aiba's hand, intertwining their fingers. "I came here to 'protect' Aiba should anything happen to him," he stated, knowing full well that Ueshima-sensei was well aware of their relationship as the man in question rubbed his nose, counting the rest of the beer bottles he had brought out.

Minami growled inwardly when he saw Shirota make a move and Ueshima didn't even budge a muscle. Instead of saying anything he downed almost half of his beer.

"It's still your turn, Yuu…" Aiba reminded his boyfriend.

"Ah, right..." Shirota surveyed the group, wondering who to ask before stating, "Nakayama-kun. Truth or Dare?"

Nakayama Masei, the third cast Inui, blinked. _'I thought I wasn't going to be called but oh well...'_ he thought. "Uh...Truth," he said.

"By chance, is there any particular scene you'd like to do in this musical involving any of the other cast members present? Given the fact that you're doing Inui, after all," Shirota inquired.

Nakayama thought for a moment "Well...I really want to have a scene where Inui reveals some information about the regulars, just like you did in the last TeniMyu...which was a good idea, by the way," he said.

After a while, due to the random intake of beers, Ueshima noticed that everyone was in various shades of red. Aiba, for one, was already leaning on Shirota, clearly dizzy and drunk.

"Alright everyone, let's play 'I've never'!" he announced.

Aiba groaned. He knew this was coming. Ueshima patted Shirota on the shoulder. "Since you're the guest here, go ahead and start, Shirota!"

Shirota turned to Ueshima-senpai, a bit dazed before shaking his head, trying to steady himself. "I've never attempted to ski," he said quite randomly.

Aiba frowned as he took a swig of his beer. Minami blinked. "Senpai has never tried to ski?" he asked Shirota.

Ueshima grinned. "Your turn, Aiba," he said.

Aiba, beer already completing the task of fogging up his mind, looked at Shirota and grinned. "I've never…" he started. "...never worn a French maid outfit while delivering a very clichéd line." He chuckled at the memory; everyone just stared at him.

And to the surprise of most, Kenken took a drink. "WHAT?" Ruito exclaimed. Kenken shrugged. What caused everyone to react however was that Aiba also took a drink, thus, nullifying his own 'I've never'.

Shirota held back an outburst of laughter; instead taking a swig from his bottle.

Ueshima chuckled. "Saa, let's continue with Minami."

Aiba leaned back to his seat and tugged Shirota closer. "Stupid...feather duster...hates me..." he said randomly.

"You kids continue, I'm just going to the bathroom," Ueshima said as he stepped out, excusing himself.

Minami, feeling very bold at the moment...and very stupid...did one thing no one expected him to do. He stood up and smirked at Shirota and Aiba. "I've never kissed a senpai," he said as he moved towards Aiba and in one swift movement, bent down and kissed him before pulling back and going back to his seat just across the room. This caused Hyoutei to all jump to their feet in anger.

"You little-" Kazuki began, but stopped when they all heard the door click. Knowing well that it was Ueshima, Hyoutei sat back down, Kazuki being the last as he glared at Minami. "You'll pay for that," he said as Minami exchanged grins with the third cast.

Aiba, stunned for a whole second wasn't able to react and instead buried his face in Shirota's shoulder.

Shirota tensed as Minami had approached and kissed Aiba before returning to his seat. "Yes you have..." Shirota hissed darkly over to Minami as the door re-opened to Ueshima. _'Be grateful I'm not strangling you for doing what you just did...'_ he thought to himself.

Minami smirked at Shirota. _'Keisuke-one, Shirota-nil,'_ he thought in satisfaction.

Sakurada nudged him. "You didn't have to go that far," he said.

"It was worth it," Minami answered.

Ueshima, somehow noticing the tension in the room, sighed. "I don't want you guys to get into accidents or something. Everyone is free to go, don't forget practice tomorrow!" he said.

"Hai..." came the collective mutter.

Kazuki nodded at Shirota. "Go ahead, leave ahead of us and take Aiba home," he said.

Shirota stood, pulling Aiba up onto his feet, nodding gratefully to Kazuki. "Sankyu..." With one last glare towards Minami, Shirota directed Aiba out of the room before they started heading off back home. _'I'm seriously going to hit that guy with something when the time comes to knock some sense into him...'_ he stated to himself.

"Hey...since when did you have a twin?" Aiba said as he looked at Shirota.

-break-

Kazuki glared at Minami. "Do anything stupid and you will have three casts after your ass," he said as he went out with the Hyoutei boys.

Minami smirked. "But none of you have an idea what happens now… do you?" he said when all the people who were left in the room were the third cast, all grinning evilly.

-break-

Shirota held Aiba steady as they reached the bus stop, waiting for the next one to come. "You got yourself drunk... I knew I should've stopped you from taking your 3rd bottle..." he said with a sigh of frustration and guilt.

"Drunk?" Aiba asked. "I'm not drunk... Nope! ... Not me!" the dancer said with a chuckle. Aiba kept quiet for the whole trip home, but once they reached home he grinned and leaned on Shirota, "Did I ever tell you that you are sooooooo damn sexy?" he said.

Shirota moved to close the door behind him but was forced back into it, closing it with a click as Aiba leaned onto him. "H...Hiro-kun..." he stuttered, knowing that Aiba was indeed drunk, otherwise he wouldn't be saying things like this outside their chambers - their bedroom.

Aiba grinned. "I really liked that French maid outfit, didn't you know?" he said as he poked a finger at Shirota's chest. "And I really hated it when we had to get rid of it because the Hyoutei boys came over..." he said as he stepped back and swayed a bit. "Oh look...there're two of you again..." he said.

Shirota grabbed hold of Aiba's wrist, steadying the boy as he led him upstairs. "Let's head upstairs. You need to lie down," he instructed, clearing his throat as he said so.

"I don't wannaaaaa..." Aiba said, but didn't resist as he was led upstairs.

-break-

Kimeru looked at his watch and sighed. He had been quiet since the day that Takigawa had his check-up. He didn't really know why though. "Stupid... broken... leg... stupid... stairs..." he muttered darkly as he chopped some carrots. A soft whine was heard beside him, and he looked down. "No Pearl, I'm not mad at you anymore…" he reassured the dog beside him who started to wag her tail. "Why don't you go accompany Eiji upstairs while I finish this surprise snack?" he suggested. Pearl barked once before leaving the kitchen. "Good girl," Kimeru said with a smile.

-break-

Takigawa was a bit disappointed that he and Kimeru haven't been speaking too much with one another since the day of his check-up. He was sitting helplessly on the bed, opting to read a book to pass the time. Just as he opened it to the first page, a small bark was heard before Pearl entered the room, moving up to his bedside.

"Hello," he greeted, setting the book aside and bent over, taking Pearl up onto his lap and stroked her fur.

-break-

Shirota directed Aiba into the room, gently pushing him into the bed with him. "What do you want to do, Hiro-kun?" Shirota inquired quietly, smiling genuinely over to the younger boy before leaning forward and capturing Aiba's lips with his own.

Aiba seemed to think for a moment. "I want..." he started. "You!" he said childishly as he pulled Shirota to kiss him again.

-break-

Kimeru finished making the salad and smirked. He went upstairs with it and a glass of juice. When he reached the room he smiled pleasantly, like the calm before a storm.

Pearl, who had settled herself on Takigawa's lap, barked when Kimeru had entered the room. Takigawa followed the Yorkshire terrier's gaze as a small smile crept on his face. He silently nodded to Kimeru and took Pearl into his hands and set her down as she ran out of the room, knowing to leave the two alone.

"Can I assume that you made that for me?" he asked, spotting the salad.

Kimeru nodded "Yes it is, I heard you muttering about salad when you fell asleep last night and decided to try and make some," he said as he placed the tray on the side table.

Takigawa flushed, clearing his throat as he averted his gaze.

-break-

Shirota pushed himself up as he waited for Aiba's response. "That doesn't really-" Shirota began before Aiba had pulled him back down again.

Aiba grinned as he turned their positions around; he smirked as he straddled the older man. "My turn..." he whispered.

"Hi...Hiro-kun..." Shirota started again. _'He won't be remembering much about this, but even still...'_

-break-_  
_

Kimeru laughed, "Silly Eiji... If you've been craving for some then you should have told me," he said.

"I didn't... I didn't want to inconvenience you..." Takigawa replied, unable to look over to the other man. "And we haven't been talking lately, so I thought..." he trailed off.

Kimeru smiled at him and hit him on the head, but not strong enough to hurt him. "Stupid...ever heard of 'frustration'?" he asked.

Takigawa brought a hand to his head and finally turned to face Kimeru, nodding. "It's because of my foot again, isn't it?" Takigawa said with a sigh. "I'll make it up to you, Kime-kun... Someday..." he reassured him.

"I know..." Kimeru said as he kissed Takigawa on the forehead. "Now don't overwork your brain cells over this and eat the salad I made," he said as he shoved the bowl of salad to his hands, looking away, cheeks a slight pinkish color.

Takigawa smiled before taking hold of the bowl. Takigawa examined it before chuckling. "I'm surprised you made this," he stated.

-break-

Aiba smirked as he looked down at Shirota. "Ne...Yuu... Do I also seem small when you're on top?"

Shirota paused for a moment and smirked. "Why? Do _I_ seem small to _you _from up there?" he teased.

Aiba looked at him and tilted his head to the side in thought. "Well...smaller than I am since I'm looking down," Aiba said with a smile.

Shirota chuckled. "Is that so?" Shirota brought his hand up and caressed the younger boy's cheek. _'Forget about him being drunk…' _he thought to himself firmly. "Well, I guess it's time you took advantage of being on top, Hiro-kun. I might reclaim my position if you don't do anything," he said.

-break-

"It's my first try actually," Kimeru admitted shyly.

Takigawa took the fork and stabbed the concoction of vegetables and dressing. "Itadakimasu..." he said before taking it in. Chewing it, his eyes widened as he swallowed it and took another look at the salad before turning to Kimeru. "What did you put in it?" he asked with a hint of excitement in his voice.

Kimeru grinned. "I'm afraid I'll have to keep that a secret," he said as he stood. "I've got to go and do the laundry," he said with a smile. "Finish that, okay?" he added as he turned around.

Takigawa lowered the fork and grabbed hold of Kimeru before he could walk away. "Can't it wait?" he asked quietly.

Kimeru blinked when he felt Takigawa grab him. "S-sure..." he said as he settled back down to sit on the bed.

"I missed you..." Takigawa offered as an explanation as he shifted to eating the rest of the salad.

-break-

"Noooo...I like my position..." he whined as he bent down. "Very much…" he whispered as he kissed Shirota, one of his hands trailing down the other's chest.

Feeling slightly aroused, Shirota wove his hands around Aiba, pulling him into an embrace as his hands moved around the boy's back.

Aiba's wandering hand had made its way into Shirota's shirt, caressing him as he slipped his other hand behind Shirota's head, pulling him closer.

One of Shirota's hands, in response, trailed down to Aiba's leg, pulling it up as he gently pushed them onto their side, pulling back for a moment to catch his breath. "You seem to be eager tonight," he teased.

"Why shouldn't I be? You never let me be on top anyway..." Aiba said with a sly grin. "Mou... Now I'm not on top anymore..." he complained. "I'm going to punish you for that..." he added slyly as he moved forward and bit down on Shirota's neck.

Shirota flinched, but he didn't pull away, half-knowing he deserved it. "How can I ever make it up to you?" he asked.

"How do you _always_?" Aiba asked with a grin.

Shirota grinned. "As you wish," he said before reclaiming Aiba's lips once more.

Aiba tried to suppress a moan but failed. One of his hands that was in Shirota's shirt had managed to get the other's shirt off. _'Much better,'_ he thought.

Shirota's hands moved to Aiba's own shirt, grabbing the end and slowly pulling it up, breaking the kiss for a moment for the clothing to pass through before he tossed it to the floor before taking Aiba's lips once more.

-break-

Kimeru smiled softly. "Yeah...I missed you too..." he admitted. "...that's why you have to take care of that leg and be sure not to cause anymore delay in its healing."

"It's just the foot, Kime-kun," Takigawa corrected before finishing the last of the salad and set the empty bowl on the tray. He reached out for the juice. "And I would very much like it to heal quickly as well," he stated before downing his juice.

"It's your whole leg that's incapable of action, though..." Kimeru reasoned with a frown as he watched him down the juice. "Besides...while you're handicapped like this, I'm sure the other two are going at it like rabbits..." Realizing what he said, his eyes widened and his hands flew over his mouth. "S-sorry… I didn't mean to say that…"

Takigawa returned the glass on the tray. "It's fine..." he replied. He frowned, missing Q who was downstairs lacking Takigawa's attention ever since Kimeru had forbidden him to leave the room.

"What's wrong now?" Kimeru asked, worried.

"I just remembered about Q..." Takigawa mentioned off-handedly.

-break-

Aiba pulled back a bit. "Who's eager now?" he teased as his hand reached Shirota's belt. "Off..." he hissed.

"It's getting hot in here, anyway," Shirota said, chuckling as he pulled on the drawstring of Aiba's jogging pants. "Wouldn't you agree?"

Aiba looked down at his jogging pants and frowned. "You're right...it is..." he said slyly.

Promptly after both of their pants had been discarded, Shirota caressed Aiba greedily into another kiss.

Aiba moaned into the kiss. He placed his hands on his partner's shoulders and ground his hips to Shirota's.

Shirota moved his hand up to Aiba's shoulder blades as he broke away from his lips and proceeded down his neck and along his shoulders.

Aiba bit his bottom lip to keep himself from crying out from the sensations that he was feeling. "Yuu…" he moaned as his hands moved to hold on to the sheets.

Shirota took slow kisses before pulling back. "What is it?" he asked.

Aiba looked at him. "Stop...teasing," he pleaded.

"If I do, I wouldn't have anything else to do," Shirota fired back with a chuckle.

"You're not fair..." Aiba drawled as he leaned back on the bed.

"Then would you like to make any suggestions?" Shirota asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Tell me how Seigaku managed to get us together again?" Aiba suggested, his mind already moving to another thing.

-break-

"Want me to bring him up for you?" Kimeru asked with a chuckle. "I'm sure he misses you too."

Takigawa nodded at him appreciatively. "Arigatou. That would be nice," he said.

Kimeru nodded as he stood. "I'll go get him," he said as he went downstairs, coming back a moment later with a brown, flat and fluffy rabbit in his arms.

A gentle smile came onto Takigawa's face as he saw Q and took him from Kimeru before stroking his fur, muttering 'How are you?', 'Did you miss me?' and other such phrases to the rabbit before he suddenly blurted out, "Arigatou, Kimeru... For everything..." he turned to Kimeru, pulled him close and gave him a deserving kiss on the lips.

Kimeru, whose smile did not leave his face since he brought Q in, nodded. "Anything for you, Takigawa Eiji…" he replied softly.

Takigawa smiled but said nothing else. "Where would you like to go once my foot heals?" he asked, changing the subject.

"I want to go to the shrine where you took me when you confessed," he said after a moment of thinking. "...and I'll bring a camera this time around. Plus...Sota and Nagayama wouldn't be there."

_'That'll help me plan that day better...'_ Takigawa noted to himself as he nodded. "I see… Anywhere else?"

Kimeru shook his head. "That's all I have in mind...and Q is chewing on the pillow by the way…" Kimeru said.

Takigawa, having forgotten about Q, turned to the rabbit and pried him away from the pillows. "Q!" he scolded before shrugging. "We'll think of something to do when the time comes," he concluded.

"Yes, I'm sure it'll come naturally," Kimeru said with a chuckle.

+++June 13, 2006+++

A few more days has passed, and it was already the second week into the Tenimyu practices.

"What? Hyoutei isn't here?" Aiba burst out as he looked at the people onstage.

-break-

Shirota was at home tinkering with the piano, writing a song as he thought about Aiba at practice. _'If Kazuki's there, it'll be alright...'_ he reassured himself.

-break-

"Ueshima-sensei said that it was so that we could practice the songs for our group better," Nakayama stated.

Aiba eyed Minami carefully. "Why wasn't I informed?" he asked.

Nakayama shrugged. "We only found out about it today as well…" he answered. "Chill, Aiba-senpai..." Minami said as he casually slung an arm over Aiba's shoulders. "We might as well make the best out of it."

Aiba pushed the arm away and stepped back. "Whatever..." he said as he went to talk to Ueshima to ask if ever they were allowed on an early break.

Minami looked at Takagi Shinpei, the third cast Momoshiro, who nodded and reached for his phone.

Moments later... Aiba's phone rang.

-break-

At around the same moment, Shirota's phone went off as well.

_PRISM iro no hikari atsume__  
__kimore hi no shita Sunday in the park__  
__sukoshi YURU me no kuuki no naka__  
__boku wa jibun wo torimodosu_

Shirota set his pen down and reached out for it as soon as he heard Aiba's _**'Shootin' Your Smile'**_ and glanced at the screen - it was Kazuki. He answered it and brought it to his ear. "What's up, Kazuki?"

"Shirota..." came Kazuki's sleepy voice. "I almost forgot to tell you to stay with Aiba today... Hyoutei isn't coming for practice…" he said with yawn.

-break-

Aiba answered the phone and his eyes went wide. "Yuu?" he said out loud, causing the cast to look at him. "What? … Where are you? ... I'm on my way!" he said as he ended the call. "Ueshima-sensei!" he yelled.

"Go, Aiba!" Ueshima said, hearing the panic in his voice.

"What happened?" Minami asked, stepping forward.

"Shirota was in an accident! He's in the hospital... and I…I...I have to get to him!" he said, tears spilling from his eyes.

Minami nodded. "I'll take you. I have a car," he said.

Although a bit reluctant, but thinking that it was for the best, Aiba nodded. "Let's go!" he said.

-break-

Shirota stood up abruptly, taking a full minute for realization to strike. "WHAT? You mean Aibacchin is alone with _HIM_?" he shouted into the receiver before abandoning his work and left the house, locking it hastily with a fumble of his house keys and sprinted to the practice area, inadvertently ending his call with Kazuki.

-break-

"Minami! This isn't the way to the hospital!" Aiba exclaimed as they turned around a corner. Minami looked at Aiba slyly.

"Don't worry, Aibacchin...Shirota-kun isn't in any danger at all…" he answered.

"W-what?" Aiba asked incredulously.

Minami auto locked the doors. "The number that called you...it was Takagi's number," he answered simply.

Realization struck Aiba hard. He knew he was in trouble. "Minami...let me out..." he said, fear rising, voice shaking.

Minami stopped the car in front of a duplex type place. "I don't think so, Aibacchin…" he said as he grabbed Aiba.

-break-

After running 10 blocks, Shirota reached the practice area and headed inside, out of breath.

"Shirota-kun? What are you-" Ueshima started as he noticed the boy enter.

"Where's Aibacchin?" he interjected roughly, catching his breath as he headed further inside to the auditorium where the rest of the third cast were practicing.

"He left with Minami..." one of the staff said. "Aiba said that you got into an accident."

At the side of the stage, Sakurada lowered his cap.

Kazuki, who looked like he just got out of bed, arrived a few seconds later. "Where's Aiba?" he said, echoing Shirota's question. Silence answered him. "Damn it..." he cursed.

Shirota clenched his fists, realizing that Minami wasn't around. _'Damn it..!'_ he cursed before turning to Kazuki. "Call the rest of the Hyoutei boys. I'll call the Seigaku cast members. We need to find Aiba. He's with Minami," he explained to the Atobe actor before taking up his phone and speed-dialed everybody from the first and second Seigaku cast that were registered in his phonebook to relay a message.

-break-

_Kawaita kaze ni me wo sorasazu ni LENS wo shiboru__  
__Neratta ashita no katachi wo ima utsushidasu yo__  
__Hitori no yoru ni kakureteita__  
__sabita kizuato wo kodou no nami ni keshite_

Takigawa stirred from his slumber when his ringtone of Kimeru's _**'Make You Free'**_ went off. His hand searched underneath his pillow and recovered the device. The screen displayed Shirota's picture before he answered the phone in loudspeaker move. "Shirotan?"

"MINNA! AIBA'S MISSING! YOU HAVE TO HELP ME FIND HIM!" Shirota shouted in alarm to everybody who had answered their phones.

Takigawa, upon hearing the news, was now fully awake.

Kimeru, who was just beside Takigawa, working on something on his laptop, grabbed the phone. "We're going to help, Shirotan," he said in a firm voice before ending the call. His own phone didn't go off for one reason; it was being fixed in the shop since Pearl used it as a chewtoy a few days ago.

He then smiled at Takigawa. "Guess whose going to drive…" he smirked evilly as he grabbed Pearl who was sleeping on the floor. "…and guess whose coming with me?" he said.

"Apparently Pearl is," Takigawa pointed out, pointing to the sleeping dog in Kimeru's arms.

Kimeru smiled. "Yes she is...and guess who else..." he added as he advanced on Takigawa.

-break-

Kenken, who was half asleep, answered his ringing phone.

_GOOD COMBINATION__  
__Yappa GOOD na RELATIONSHIP daze__  
__Omae to iru to fukanouna koto nado nani mo nai youna ki ga suru__  
__Yuuki mo doryoku mo konjou mo ishiki shinai de mi ni matoeru__  
__Hazukashii kedo aratamete iu ze_

"Kamakari..." he answered.

"GET YOUR LAZY BUTTS IN ACTION AND FIND AIBA! MINAMI TOOK HIM!" Kazuki practically yelled, and Kenken could swear he heard Shirota yelling something similar in the background. He rubbed his ear and sighed.

"Hai, buchou," he answered. "Koji!" he called out. "We have a problem!" he said as he grabbed his shoes.

-break-

After receiving feedback from everybody that they were going to help, Shirota took a moment to calm down, though that would be an understatement, given the current situation.

"But the problem is where do we start?" Kazuki asked.

"I know where Aiba-senpai is!" Sakurada blurted out.

Kazuki and the others stared at him. "You what?"

"I know where he is...I know the whole plan..." he admitted. "...but...this...this has gone too far."

Kazuki growled. "You bet it is," he said as he grabbed the boy by the collar. "Take us to him," he said dangerously.

"H-hai..." Sakurada answered nervously.

"I have my car out front. Let's go," Kazuki said as he nodded to Shirota and dragged Sakurada, "Sensei," he said as he passed Ueshima.

Shirota climbed into the front passenger seat of Kazuki's car. "When I see him, I'll _kill_ him..." Shirota stated.

-break-

Takigawa's eyes widened before shaking his head. "You don't expect me to be going out looking for Aiba in my condition, do you? Even with my crutches it would put some strain on it," Takigawa reasoned.

"Ah yes... but I need someone to hold the map. Now shall we go or shall I ignore you again for the next few days because you refused to help a friend in need?" Kimeru countered as he deliberately moved so that the necklace that Shirota and Aiba bought for them showed.

Takigawa paled before finally nodding. It wasn't that he didn't want to help, but it was more on keeping his foot off any weight as much as possible for it to recover quicker. _'How selfish of me...'_ he scolded himself as he slid off the bed, retrieved his crutches and got up before nodding to Kimeru. "Let's go," he said before heading out of the room for the first time in weeks.

-break-

Sakurada swallowed hard. "I'll guide you there..." he said as Kazuki started the car.

"And the directions better be right or else we'll kill you as well," the Atobe actor warned.

"H-hai, senpai," Sakurada said as he led them to the area.

-break-

Kimeru nodded in satisfaction as he followed and helped Takigawa downstairs and to the car. "Besides...don't you want to deal some damage to that jerk as well?" he asked as he opened the back door of the car for Takigawa to get in. "Come on Pearl," he said as the dog hopped in the front seat.

Takigawa moved to the door and handed the crutches to Kimeru before sliding into the back seat. Pearl gave an enthusiastic bark.

Kimeru smiled as he locked the seatbelts he placed at the back over Takigawa just for this reason. "For safety reasons," he said as he also strapped Pearl in and put the crutches in the trunk. "There! No more means of escape!" he said happily. Once he got into the driver's seat and locked the doors, Kimeru started the car and floored the gas, making them run at maximum speed.

Takigawa was about to protest before Kimeru had floored it, pushing both him and Pearl back into the seats, drowning out any words he might have planned on saying.

-break-

"Just around the corner..." Sakurada pointed out. "There...the brown duplex..."

Kazuki stopped the car in front of the place and frowned. "Come on!" he said as he opened the door.

-break-

Minami smirked in victory as he stepped out of the bedroom door, closing and locking the door behind him.

-break-

Shirota got out of the car and followed Kazuki to the door. "MINAMI!" he hollered, banging on the door.

-break-

"Shit!" Minami exclaimed, moving quickly to get back into the bedroom and locked the door again.

-break-

Sakurada joined them at the door, digging through his pockets, and threw a set of keys to Shirota. "Senpai!" he called out.

Shirota took the keys and expertly fiddled with them and opened the front door before running inside. He took a quick survey of the place before moving up to one of the rooms. It was the closet. The second door was the bathroom. The third door he tried was locked. _'Bingo...'_ He took the keys and tried them all on the lock. His second key worked as he turned the knob and pushed the door open.

"Aibacc-" Shirota called, but stopped at what he saw.

Aiba's eyes snapped to the door. "Yuu!" he called out desperately.

Minami was straddling him; holding him down, trying to shut him up. Sakurada's eyes widened. "You fool..." he muttered to himself.

Kazuki froze on the spot, his gaze darting back and forth from Shirota to Aiba.

Rage overtaking him, Shirota pulled out one of Aiba's hair irons - the portable one - he had brought along for this occasion and threw it with all his might as it found its target and knocked Minami across the head, knocking him unconscious and more importantly, off Aiba. Shirota moved forward before shedding off his jacket and handed it to Aiba.

"Minami!" Sakurada exclaimed as he rushed to Minami's side.

Aiba quickly put on the jacket before immediately holding onto Shirota. "Yuu!" he said as he began to cry. Kazuki walked over to Sakurada and Minami, letting Shirota and Aiba have the space they need.

Shirota took Aiba in his arms, quieting him as he stroked through his hair. "It's alright now, Hiro-kun... I'm here..." he reassured him.

-break-

"TURN THE WHE-" Takigawa shouted just as Kimeru swerved around the corner just in time, giving Takigawa a moment to sigh in relief. Pearl's whines could be heard, the dog feeling uncomfortable. "Can't you slow down a bit, Kime-kun?" Takigawa suggested.

-break-

Aiba nodded as he held himself closer to Shirota.

Kazuki looked over his shoulder at them. "I'm texting the others that we found Aiba," he said as he flipped open his phone.

Shirota nodded in silent gratitude to Kazuki.

-break-

A few moments later, at a red light, Takigawa was calming down before his phone vibrated in his pocket. He fished it out and saw that it was a text from Kazuki that they had found Aiba. Takigawa looked over to Kimeru. "Kazuki's texted. He says that they found Aiba already," he told him.

"I see... So that means..." Kimeru chuckled evilly. "We're going all the way back home…" he said.

Takigawa watched the stoplight. "Can we at least go a little slower since we're in no rush anymore?" he tried.

-break-

"I...I'll take it from here..." Sakurada said to the three.

Kazuki looked at Shirota. "I think that would be best...I'll go back and talk to Ueshima-sensei...you take Aiba home... Use my car," he said as he threw the keys to Shirota. "I'll use his..." he added as he pointed to Minami. "...and take him to Ueshima-sensei with me."

Shirota caught the keys and nodded again. "Alright. Arigatou, Kazuki."

-break-

"Nonsense. I still have laundry to finish and you have to get back to bed." Kimeru said, making a little "^_^" expression.

Aiba stayed quiet and still all the way back to their place.

Shirota parked Kazuki's car outside their house before he moved to help Aiba back into the house.

Aiba let himself be guided; he felt lost and used... He couldn't even look Shirota in the eye.

Shirota led Aiba to their bedroom and sat him down on the bed before he embraced him again. "Gomen… I didn't know that Kazuki wouldn't be there to keep you away from him..." he apologized.

-break-

"Now's not the time to be in Fuji-mode, Kimeru!" Takigawa protested, struggling from the seatbelts.

"Oh look!" Kimeru suddenly said. "...green light..." With a smirk, Kimeru sped off.

"Wa-" Takigawa's words were drowned once again as he was pushed back into the seat once more.

-break-

"No...It's my fault..." Aiba said. "I was so stupid...and... and..." He then remembered what he was thinking before everything happened. "...and so scared that something happened to you...They said you were in an accident and I believed them...I couldn't think properly...I was so afraid...so afraid that you...you were.." he trailed off, tears clouding his vision.

Shirota pulled back and gently wiped the tears from his lover's eyes. "Sssshhh... It's okay, Hiroki. It happens to everybody... They get led astray easily... I mean, I ran 10 blocks from here to the practice area after hearing from Kazuki that you were alone with Minami... I arrived too late, of course, but still... 10 blocks...!" he stated, sighing before pulling Aiba into another embrace. "But everything is alright now. It's over."

-break-

Takigawa had finally been able to breathe properly when Kimeru had parked their car in the driveway, free of any damage. Takigawa began struggling with the seatbelts again. "Kime-kun..." he started.

Kimeru grinned as he helped Takigawa take off the seat belt.

Takigawa pulled himself out from the backseat before realizing that his crutches were missing.

Kimeru retrieved the crutches from the trunk and smiled as he handed them to Takigawa. "That was fun..." he said.

"For you, it was..." Takigawa stated darkly as he took the crutches and pulled himself up before Pearl came running just behind him, jumping into the concrete sidewalk and running towards the house. Takigawa and Kimeru headed back inside.

-break-

Aiba nodded as he looked at Shirota. "Shirota Yuu...I love you...so much..." he said softly as he placed a hand on Shirota's cheek.

Shirota overlapped his hand with Aiba's before planting a kiss on the boy.

Aiba kissed back, letting all his fears fade away.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

We look forward to your reviews and possible suggestions. :)


	5. Depend on Me

**Title:** Anything for You

**Author/Artist: **snooperj & Bloodysamurai

**Series/Pairing(s):** TeniMyu; Mainly Takigawa Eiji x Kimeru & Shirota Yuu x Aiba Hiroki

**Notes:** Here is the 5th chapter entitled **Depend on Me**. This time around, we place our focus on the pair of Takigawa and Kimeru. Among all the chapters we've made so far, this is perhaps the most emotional one we've made. Manipulating the complicated characters of Takigawa and Kimeru (as opposed to the carefree pair of Shirota and Aiba) went up to the point of the two reaching a major crisis in their relationship. How it started and if it ever patched up, you'll have to read on to find out! In the same manner, we see how Shirota and Aiba had confessed their love to one another. This chapter runs from August 20 – September 19, 2006.

**ALSO! None of the authors of this roleplay/fanfic own TeniMyu or the actors, but are mere fangirls of the musical series and corresponding actors we write about. Everything that progresses in the story are the creation of our witty imaginations.

* * *

+++August 20, 2006+++

It took about a month and a half before Takigawa had recovered from his injury as he and Kimeru emerged from the doctor as Takigawa stretched his arms over his head. "I've been depending on crutches for a long time, walking might take some getting used to again," he stated, chuckling over to Kimeru as he took his hand, intertwining their fingers. "I suppose this news would satisfy you, Kime-kun?" he teased.

Kimeru chuckled. "Of course it does... After all... it would be nice to have some help around the place," he said with a sly grin before laughing. "Kidding! Of course this is good news!" he said happily.

Takigawa chuckled as he led Kimeru to their car. "I'm glad to hear that," he admitted, kissing him on the forehead. "Were you going to do the groceries now? Of course, I'm at your service to help you if you like," he stated.

Kimeru nodded. "I'd like it if you help," he said. "So...you're going to drive right?" he asked as he handed over the keys. "Honestly... if you don't like me driving why did you teach me in the first place?" he asked.

Takigawa took the keys and unlocked the car. "That was in case you had plans of going out on your own and needed a car. It apparently came in handy when I was incapacitated, didn't it?" he said with a chuckle.

-break-

Shirota was bombarded with offers of photo shoots and commissions that he was barely home while Aiba was practicing for the upcoming 'Advancement Match Rokkaku featuring Hyoutei' Musical that was set to premiere at the end of the week. TeniMyu were going through final productions and dry-runs. Shirota had just come home from another photo shoot and proceeded to the kitchen to get a snack.

-break-

Aiba was on the way home, hoping that he might be able to catch Shirota home and awake. Ever since they have both been busy, he was forced to leave early, before Shirota woke up and went home when the other was already asleep. Either that or it was the other way around. He frowned at the thought.

_'At least Ueshima-sensei said that we had a whole month off from Myu after this Musical,'_ he thought as he crossed the street. _'Speaking of Myu...' _he suppressed the urge to grin evilly. He had to admit that his latest experience made him a little apprehensive when it came to practices; even Ueshima-sensei took extra effort to make sure that his interaction with Minami was kept to a minimum. That was until two days ago…

_**Ueshima and Aiba were going through a certain scene as they entered the Seigaku dressing room. Much to their surprise, they saw Sakurada and Minami making out on one of the tables.**__**Aiba immediately shut the door when he saw this and grinned. Ueshima paled a bit and walked away, saying that he needed to sit down.**__**  
**_  
Aiba smiled as he turned a corner, running the rest of the way home. "You better still be awake, Yuu..." he muttered darkly.

Upon arrival at their house, he unlocked the door and entered. He removed his glasses, which he had to wear since his latest eye exam ("Ophthalmologists are evil!" he exclaimed when he first got them) revealed that he already needed them, and placed them on the table beside the couch before heading to the kitchen.

He smirked when he saw Shirota rummaging around. He quietly slipped behind the taller boy and wrapped his arms around his waist. "I'm home..." he whispered to the other's ear.

Shirota pulled his head out from one of the cupboards and smirked, moving his hands to Aiba's before looking over his shoulder. "Welcome home," he whispered in return. "This is a first. Practice finished up early?" he inquired.

-break-

Kimeru nodded. "Yes, it was fun," he answered as he got in the passenger seat. "As fun as you first taught me how to drive," he added.

Takigawa chuckled at the thought. "I had to keep reminding you about how much you should be stepping on the pedals," he reminisced as he started the car. "But anyway, let's get those groceries then we can relax the rest of the afternoon. Then I can cook us a nice supper. What do you say?" he asked, shifting it into Drive.

"Sounds good!" Kimeru agreed happily.

_tsuyoku naru no da shouri o te ni suru tame ni wa__  
__saikyou no TEAM o ore wa hikiite idomu_

Kimeru frowned as he pulled out his phone. "Kimeru desu," he answered. "Hai... Yes, I remember...Hai...I'll be there," he sighed as he ended the call and closed his eyes.

Takigawa drove off onto the main road, frowning as he stopped at a red light before turning to Kimeru. "What was that about?" he asked.

Kimeru opened his eyes and sighed. "They want to re-do five songs for the new album tomorrow..." he said. "I have to get up early to get to the studio...which means you would have to take care of breakfast...sorry," he added.

"That's fine. It's about time I paid you back by waking up early and cooking for you, ne?" Takigawa reasoned, forcing a smile.

"Thanks," Kimeru said.

It was a silent drive to the grocery. Takigawa lost no time in finding a parking slot before switching the car off and leaned back on the seat for a while. "Did you want anything in particular for tonight?" he asked.

Kimeru shook his head. "You have free manipulation for the dinner menu," he chided with a small smile.

"As you say..." Takigawa replied before getting out of the car and circled the car, taking Kimeru's hand and locked the car before heading towards the grocery. "I think I'd like to try making a salad among other things..." he teased.

-break-

Aiba chuckled. "Ueshima-sensei told us all to go home after telling Sakurada and Minami off for making out in the prop room," he explained. "And you?"

"Why did he have to wait until _after_ all was done fussing over you to fawn over Sakurada?" Shirota muttered darkly to himself. "We decided to shoot the rest of the pictures some other time. There seemed to be a problem with the spotlights that they couldn't fix it..." he admitted. "It's a good thing, too. That way, we ended up seeing each other for a change, na?"

Aiba grinned. "True...oh yeah...before I forget..." he said. "I hope you're not allergic…" he said as he opened his bag and a white kitten looked out. "I saw her shivering by the backstage entrance..." he explained as he brought out the kitten and showed it to Shirota.

The kitten looked at Shirota and mewed delicately.

"Can we keep her?" he asked.

Shirota moved to grab a bag of potato chips and turned to see the kitten in Aiba's hands. His mouth curled into a smile and nodded enthusiastically, much like he did during their Dream Live 3rd performance when he impersonated Erumes-tan. "Hai!" he mimicked.

"Really?" Aiba declared happily as he placed the kitten on the counter and hugged Shirota. "Thank you!" he said. "I've always wanted a pet!" he answered as he let go and turned to the kitten that was looking at them, its tail swishing back and forth. "What should we name her, Yuu?" he asked.

Shirota kissed Aiba on the cheek, returning his embracing before they looked over to the kitten. Shirota approached it and took it into his hands, examining it for a while before replying, "We should call her Minki."

Aiba smiled as the kitten mewed again. "Kawaii~" Aiba said "I think she liked her name," he continued as he looked at Shirota then at the kitten.

"AIBA! SHIROTA!" a voice called out from the door.

"Ruito?" Aiba said as he moved to open the door. Once he did, the younger boy Ruito flew into Aiba's arms. "Rui! What happened?" he asked worriedly.

Shirota walked out into the living room, the newly named kitten Minki in his arms, raising an eyebrow at Ruito's sudden entrance. "Did something happen with Takumi?" he asked.

"Takumi! He's shooting another Yaoi film without telling me!" Ruito said, as Aiba sat him down beside him on the couch, Ruito burying his face in Aiba's chest.

Aiba sighed. "You're talking about 'Boy's Love', aren't you?" he asked and Ruito nodded. Aiba looked at Shirota, silently asking him to say something.

Shirota moved to one of the other couches and sat down. "You'll just have to trust in Takumi, Ruito. Otherwise you'll be having problems later on. Besides, I believe you can trust Takumi's co-actor for those scenes..."

"That's right, Rui..." Aiba said. "You just have to trust Takumi…and Konii."

"Konii? His co-actor is Konii?" Ruito asked.

Aiba chuckled. "Yes...and we all know he's already going out with a mystery member cast in Myu," he said.

Ruito frowned. "Then I went running 15 blocks for nothing..." he said. "Ne...Aiba... Just curious and all...who confessed first? You or Shirota?" he asked.

Aiba smirked. "Oh, you don't know? It was me. "

"Really? Tell me tell me tell me!" Ruito insisted. Aiba laughed as he looked at Shirota.

"Fill in the parts I don't know, okay?" he said. "It started during the rehearsals of Imperial Match Hyoutei..." Aiba began.

_**"I'm telling you, Aiba...you should tell him..!" Kenken said lazily as he grabbed a bottle of water.**_

_**Aiba looked around, flustered. "But Kenken! What if he doesn-"**_

_**"Look, Aiba...the worst that can happen is that he takes it as a joke! So go for it!" Kenken said, cutting him off.**_

-break-_**  
**_

Kimeru grinned. "Maybe you could get Nagayan to teach you how to do the dressing one of these days..." he said.

"I haven't told you about my special dressing yet, have I?" Takigawa admitted as they took a shopping cart and stepped into the busy grocery store.

Kimeru blinked. "No, you haven't."

-break-

"I believe while that conversation was taking place, I was with the other Seigaku cast members... Araki had just finished teaching us the Seigaku Game he learned from Aoyama-senpai. So we decided to try it out," Shirota continued.

_**"Kaidoh Kaoru kara hajimaru? Seigaku Game!" Kujirai began.**_

_**"YEAH!" the rest replied in chorus.**_

_**"Inui!" Kujirai pointed to Yanagi.**_

_**"Sadaharu!" he replied, pointing to Adachi.**_

_**"Rikutsu Janai!" Shirota and Kaji responded, pretending to push up their glasses.**_

_**"Fuji!" Adachi continued, pointing to Konii.**_

_**"Syusuke!" Konni replied, pointing to Shirota.**_

_**"Tsubame Gaeshi," Adachi and Yanagi responded, imitating the move.**_

_**"Kaidoh!" Shirota stated, pointing to Zukki.**_

_**"Kaoru!" Zukki replied, pointing to Kaji.**_

_**"Snake Shotto!" Kujirai and Nagayan replied, the former in pure Kaidoh fashion as they both gestured the move.**_

_**"Tezuka!" Kaji continued, pointing to Araki.**_

_**"Kunimitsu!" Araki replied, pointing to Konii.**_

_**"Nande yaren," Zukki and Kujirai replied, waving off to the side with one hand.**_

_**"Echizen!" Konii followed, pointing to Nagayan.**_

_**"Ryoma!" Adachi replied quickly, pointing to Araki.**_

_**"Nyarou!" Yanagi stated, pulling his cap down. Zukki, who was unable to do it, was out.**_

-break-

Takigawa began looking around, taking a few things off the shelves and tossing it into the cart. "You'd be amazed how I stumbled upon the recipe," he stated. "I know how you like eating healthy and how you like food in general, but I was surprised that you didn't know anything about cooking."

-break-

"Aa, you guys were having too much fun then that it almost stopped me.."

_**"Ano...Shirotan...can I talk to you?" Aiba asked as he approached the group.**_

_**Kenken nodded at the Hyoutei cast. "Mah~ I'm getting hungry! Come with me won't you!" Kazuki said, grabbing a random Seigaku cast which happened to be Konii. The rest followed his example, but instead of leaving the room, they hid behind some prop sets.**_

"I was surprised, actually," Shirota stated reminiscently.

_**The game had ended just as Aiba came. Araki had just been eliminated after confusing Kawamura's 'Takashi' with 'Takeshi'. Shirota turned to Aiba, calming himself down from laughing too much. "Sure, sure!" he replied enthusiastically, clearing his throat. "What's up?" he asked.**_

"Really, now… You sure didn't _look_ like you were surprised," Aiba said.

_**"I...have something to tell you…" Aiba said, looking everywhere except at Shirota. He saw Kenken from behind the prop Ponta machine, giving him a thumbs-up while Koji smiled at him in encouragement. He was getting nervous already.**_

-break-

Kimeru chuckled. "That would be because I never had the time, Eiji..." he said as he adjusted his glasses. "Now let's see... What else do we need?" he said.

-break-

"I didn't show it, but I was surprised!" Shirota argued.

_**Shirota blinked. He was wondering why Aiba had been acting strangely around him for a while now. Then again, he had concluded that the younger boy had been annoyed at how much he pestered him with silly antics when Aiba was clearly trying to perfect a dance sequence. Of course, Shirota subconsciously did those things due to an inner pull inside him, even he wasn't sure what it was or why he had always decided to pounce unexpectedly on Aiba of all people. His heart was beating fast all of a sudden. "What is it?" he asked again, wondering why he was getting nervous at what Aiba might say.**_

Aiba grinned. "And I was ready to run at that point!" he countered with a smile.

_**"I hope that no matter what I say we could always stay friends, Shirotan..." he said carefully. "You see...the reason that I've been so snappish around you lately is that...that..." he took a deep breath and Hyoutei found themselves doing the same.**_

_**"I...I really l-l-lo-" he swallowed. "I...L-l-l-" **__'Damn it...' __**he cursed mentally.**__**He looked down, blushing furiously. "'minlovewithyouwait noImean...argh...!" he blurted out in one breath.**_

"I forgot if I was glad to understand that or confused if I heard it correctly," Shirota admitted.

_**Shirota stared at Aiba, blinking down at him. **__'Is...Is he serious...?' __**he thought incredulously to himself. Shaking off his thoughts, he took a step towards Aiba and smiled, tipping the younger boy's chin for their eyes to meet. "I just realized it... Aibacchin... after all this time... I fell in love with you, too..." he said.**_

-break-

"Ah, true..." Takigawa said, sighing. "Oh, the life of a J-Pop star... It can only be admired," he said longingly before turning a corner into another aisle. "Ah, we need some of this..." he said, stopping to get a bottle of Desert Vinegar.

Kimeru hit him playfully. "It's not all glamour, you know," he said with a chuckle.

"Of course, of course," Takigawa chimed before looking at the cart. "Did you want to get anything?" he asked.

Laughing, Aiba turned a bit to face Shirota a bit better. "I was supposed to hug you, you know...unfortunately my brain was quicker than I expected."

-break-

_**"Y-You just realized it now?" Aiba said as he looked away, frustrated. Even if he was, he couldn't fight back a smile... Not that he wanted to, anyway. "Baka Shirotan..." he said softly.**_

"You can't blame a guy for realizing things too late," Shirota stated defensively.

_**Shirota waved his hands in front of him. "I didn't mean it like that! I had a feeling deep down, nd I wasn't sure what it meant... But it was why I always picked on you... But now... everything makes sense..." he said, a tint of red staining his cheeks.**_

Aiba grinned. "Your reaction was worth it anyway," he said, "Besides...it was really cute."

_**Aiba chuckled a bit before facing Shirota with a smile on his face. "Silly Shirotan…" he said before making a bold move. He stepped closer and captured the taller boy's lips in a kiss.**_

_**That was when the whole stage burst in applause. "Finally!" Kazuki and Kenken exclaimed together. "Huh?" the two Hyoutei boys turn to one another. "You were helping Aiba/Shirota?" they said, KenKen referring to Aiba, Kazuki referring to Shirota.**_

"Hai!" Shirota stated, imitating his Erumes-tan voice once more.

_**Shirota gave in to the kiss, responding just as well with a kiss of his own.**_

_**"I was wondering why they had taken their time..." Araki confessed, adjusting his Inui glasses.**_

-break-

Kimeru looked at the shelves around them before nodding. "We're out of peanut butter..." he said.

Takigawa spotted it and took a new jar off the shelf and placed it into their cart along with other things. "If that's all, I believe we can check these out and finally head home?" he asked. "I'll pay for them," he added as a reassurance to Kimeru.

Kimeru smiled in gratitude. "Thanks Eiji..." he said.

-break-

"So you two...why didn't I see that?" Ruito asked after the story was done.

"I believe you were sick that time, Rui..." Aiba answered.

-break-

After the groceries were purchased, Takigawa and Kimeru drove back to the house, with Takigawa preparing a delicious dinner - despite his inaccessibility to the kitchen in a long time. Takigawa offered to do the dishes and clean up, allowing Kimeru to retreat early to bed for his early start tomorrow. After stowing the clean dishes, Takigawa went to feed Q and Pearl before greeting them both a good night before finally heading upstairs, showered and headed to bed.

-break-

At the other pair's house, Shirota made them dinner after their fond reminiscing. Takumi, who had been calling up each of the cast members asking where Ruito was, came by a few minutes after calling Shirota to pick the boy up, apologizing for the trouble he may have caused before they left. Shirota brought Minki upstairs with them as they got ready for bed.

+++August 21, 2006+++

The next day, Takigawa had waked up early to his alarm clock, shaking Kimeru awake. "I'll go and get breakfast started," he stated before leaning over and gave the younger man a quick kiss on the cheek before he left and headed downstairs, stifling a yawn.

"Uhnumfahp..." Kimeru said as he buried his face in the pillow and reached for his phone. He looked at the time groggily and frowned. "Darn it..." he muttered as he got up and went to the bathroom to take a bath.

-break-

Aiba woke up to a warm feeling on his leg; we looked under the blanket and saw Minki rubbing on his ankle, begging for attention. "How did you get in?" he wondered to himself as he coaxed the kitten to come closer.

Aiba yawned as he stroked Minki behind the ears. "Might as well get breakfast ready...Yuu has a photoshoot," he told the kitten as he stood up to head downstairs.

-break-

Takigawa got out the pan he needed and set it on the stove before moving to the cupboard and brought down the bread and a plate. He shuffled around sleepily, retrieving a spatula, a knife and a fork from their utensils drawer before moving to the refrigerator and pulled out some eggs, milk, butter and maple syrup. He was going to make Kimeru some French toast for a change.

-break-

Shirota shifted in bed, stretching his arm out to find the other half of the bed was empty, causing him to crack his eyes open. "Aibacchin..?" he asked, his other hand reaching out for his phone, reminding him of his photo shoot. Groaning, he sat up and headed off to grab a shower before breakfast.

-break-

After showering and changing, Kimeru headed downstairs. "Eiji...before I forget...I have an out of town shoot tomorrow..." he said. "I'll be gone overnight..."

Takigawa had just spread the butter on the finished toast and poured another dose of syrup over it before setting the plate down in front of Kimeru as he attempted a frown. "Is that so? So what am I supposed to do while you're out tomorrow?" he asked.

Kimeru sighed. "I'm sorry...I didn't know until yesterday either...I'll make it up to you when I get back, ok?" he said as he went over to Takigawa and kissed him on the cheek.

Takigawa nodded before gesturing to Kimeru's untouched breakfast. "Saa, enjoy your breakfast," he stated, cleaning up the mess he had made on the counter.

Kimeru sighed. He noticed that the mood had dropped when he mentioned the out of town. After eating he looked at Takigawa and was about to say something when his manager called. "Kimeru...hai...I'm on my way…" he said as he ended the call. He smiled sadly. "I'll try to get home early, Eiji..." he said.

"Do you... want me to give you a lift to the studio?" Takigawa offered as Pearl, in her bee shirt, came into the kitchen, emitting a soft bark.

-break-

Aiba finished making breakfast - pancakes and maple syrup. He chuckled as he looked at the calendar. "I hope Shirota remembers that it's the last day of work before our little 3-day vacation from all the hustle and bustle of reality..." he said. "Minki, why don't you go and get that model for me, would you?" he said with a smile at the little kitten.

Minki looked at him before mewing and dashing up the stairs and stopping by the bathroom door. She started pawing the door and began mewing.

Shirota emerged from the bathroom, and spotted Minki at his feet. He bent down and patted the kitten. "Hai, hai. I'll be down in a minute," he replied to her before straightening up and moving to get dressed. He stepped out of their bedroom a few minutes later and headed to the stairs. "Ikkuyo, Minki," he called as the kitten followed him to the dining area.

"Ohayou~" he greeted, taking his usual seat. "This looks appetizing," he complimented.

Aiba smiled. "Hey…you _do_ remember what today is, right?" he asked as he gestured to the calendar. "And with the Myu done by the weekend - which is just three days from now - I'm pretty much free," he said.

Shirota nodded, half a pancake stuffed in his mouth. After chewing it and swallowing, he said, "What did you want to do again? I remember you mentioned about going out to see someplace..."

"I did? I don't remember..." Aiba said as he thought for a moment.

Shirota allowed Aiba to recall that before returning to his breakfast.

-break-

Kimeru stopped as he was about to stand. He smiled. "I'd like that..." he said softly.

Smiling, Takigawa moved forward and retrieved his keys and opened the door for Kimeru, posing like a doorman. "After you," he teased as Pearl moved forward as Takigawa chuckled. "Yes, yes. You can come along."

"Quite the gentleman you are...Tezuka-buchou," Kimeru said as he grabbed his bag and went out, waiting for Takigawa to follow.

Takigawa decided not to reply and shooed Pearl outside before closing the door behind him, locking it before moving to the back seat and opened it for Pearl to hop inside as the man promptly closed it and got into the driver's seat.

Kimeru got into the passenger seat with a smile. "After this shoot and tomorrow, I basically have a much more agreeable schedule," he said. "Maybe we could go out again," he suggested.

Takigawa started the car. "Aa, that would be good." _'That would be a good opportunity to finally put my plan into execution...'_ he thought happily to himself before he drove off to the studio, Pearl barking happily in the back seat.

-break-

"I think it was something about out of town..." Aiba said carefully as he poured more maple syrup on his pancake.

Shirota finished his share of pancakes before he stood. "I think that was it... Going to Okinawa would be a nice change of scenery..." he admitted before checking the time. "Well, I have to get going," he stated, turning to leave.

"Be careful! Don't let the fangirls get to you," Aiba said with a chuckle. "Oh and before I forget!" he said as he quickly made his way to Shirota and kissed him. "Now go before I decide to tie you down and throw you back in the room," he said playfully.

"I wonder if that would be a good excuse to get out of work? 'Aibacchin threatened to keep me from coming to work today. Let me tell you, his collection of hair irons is intimidating!'" he tried, thinking up of a random dialogue as he moved to the door.

"I highly doubt it!" Aiba called after him.

Shirota laughed. "No, I guess not. Ja, itekimasu!" he said before leaving the house.

+++September 7, 2006+++

That week has been the most exhausting for both couples, both mentally and emotionally. Aiba had finally finished Myu and looked forward to a well-deserved rest arranged by both his and Shirota's manager. Kimeru on the other hand, back from various tapings for his MTV, sighed in relief as his manager dropped him off in front of their house that evening.

"Tadaima..." he called out as he opened the door.

"Okairi nasai," Takigawa said, approaching him, pulling him gingerly into an embrace. "Tired?" he asked with a frown, sensing Kimeru's lack of affection he normally possessed.

"Exhausted..." Kimeru mumbled in reply as he placed his arms around Takigawa's waist. "The director was too much of a perfectionist…"

Takigawa patted him on the back before gesturing to the kitchen. "Come on, let's sit down to dinner then I can give you a massage later in bed. That sound alright?" he asked with a small smile, tipping Kimeru's chin before bending down and kissing him.

Kimeru kissed back and smiled. "Sound good," he said. "So...what's for dinner?" he asked.

-break-

Aiba watched as Shirota finished packing for their trip. "Isn't it great? We get a free vacation!" he said happily as he sat on the bed.

Shirota struggled with the last zipper of his suitcase before heaving, finally managing to close it before heaving a sigh of relief before turning to Aiba and nodded enthusiastically. "Aa. I'm looking forward to spending a few days out of town. Ne… We haven't really gone to congratulate Takigawa-senpai on his recovery yet, have we?" he noted, sitting on the bed next to him. "I got a text from Aoyama-senpai about it just yesterday."

Aiba tilted his head to the side in thought. "I think I took note of that..." he said as he opened his suitcase to look for his PDA. He stopped when he saw something that was black in color lined with ribbons.

"Yuu...how did this get in my suitcase?" he asked.

Shirota turned to Aiba's open suitcase. "Oh... _that_..." he started, trying to prevent himself from laughing. "I just thought that you wanted to bring it along... You know... Just in case..."

"Why you!" Aiba declared as he pounced on Shirota and straddled him. "You honestly think I need that to seduce you?" he said slyly. "I'm going to tickle you to death!" he proclaimed as he proceeded to tickle Shirota.

Shirota immediately burst out laughing. "St...St...Stop it!" he said in between his fits of laughter, unable to get away from Aiba's quick fingers.

-break-

Takigawa moved behind Kimeru and slowly led him to the dining area. "I hope you're fine with pork chops and mashed potatoes, Kime-kun," Takigawa began, easing Kimeru into his usual seat at the table.

"Compared to what they gave us at the shoot, this is heaven," Kimeru answered "Itadakimasu," he said as he started to eat.

Takigawa smiled before moving to his own seat. "Itadakimasu," he said before digging in to his own serving.

-break-

Aiba grinned as he stopped tickling Shirota. "Had enough?" he asked.

Shirota, who had tears forming in his eyes from laughing to hard, nodded. "I surrender, I surrender!" he said, admitting defeat as he pushed himself up, wiping the tears off. "Ne..." he began, looking over to the French maid outfit still in Aiba's suitcase.

Aiba followed his gaze and smirked. "Do you want me to?" he asked playfully.

Shirota chuckled. "That's up to you. But before anything...would you happen to remember that pre-practice meeting with the third cast..? When I came over and Ueshima-sensei was handing out drinks?" he asked seriously.

-break-

After the meal Kimeru thanked Takigawa. "I thank kami-sama for your wonderful insight..." he said.

"I thank _you_ for coming into my life," Takigawa said as he moved to clear the table, taking the plates to the sink, kissing Kimeru's cheek as he passed him. He was finished within minutes before returning to pick him up. "I believe you have reserved a massage for tonight?"

Kimeru chuckled. "Yes, please," he answered.

Takigawa smiled and led Kimeru upstairs and they each took a shower, changing into their sleepwear before settling down onto the bed. Takigawa bend down over Kimeru, who was lying on his stomach comfortably on the bed as Takigawa began massaging the other man's shoulders methodically.

Kimeru groaned in satisfaction as Takigawa gave him the massage.

Takigawa continued down Kimeru's back, finding the right pressure points, trying to help release any stress on his body.

Kimeru closed his eyes in pleasure, little moans escaping his lips every now and then.

Takigawa smiled, moving up to Kimeru's neck. "I'm glad you're enjoying this," he said quietly.

"'Course I am..." came Kimeru's muffled reply.

-break-

Aiba stood and sat back up on the bed. "I'm afraid I don't...what about it?" he asked.

"All of you got drunk, actually..." Shirota admitted, closing his eyes as he tried to remember. "You, especially... Ueshima-sensei got us to play 'I've Never' and you ended up saying something a bit... awkward..." he finished, opening his eyes and turning to Aiba.

Aiba turned a bit pink. "Er...do I want to know?" he asked carefully.

"I leave that up to you," Shirota simply stated.

"What did I say?" Aiba asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"You said that you've never worn a French maid outfit while delivering a very clichéd line," Shirota replied.

Aiba blinked before he burst out laughing. "I did?" he said. "That's strange...I've never worn the French maid outfit before...I was saving it for your birthday!" he admitted.

-break-

Takigawa continued massaging Kimeru thoroughly for the succeeding half hour before sitting back, announcing that he was finished. "Did that make it a bit better?" he asked, lying back on one of the pillows.

"Yeah..." Kimeru answered as he moved beside Takigawa and placed his arm around him. "Much better..." he said before drifting to sleep.

+++September 14, 2006+++

A week has passed since that day. Aiba and Shirota had a chance to relax, thanks to their managers while Kimeru had a more manageable schedule, allowing him to be home more often. It was morning and Kimeru was at the studio to finish the last scene for his MTV while Aiba was at home, surfing the internet for any updates of anything.

-break-

Takigawa went on a morning jog, walking Pearl at the same time while listening to recordings of the TeniMyu songs he had managed to collect over the course of time.

-break-

Shirota took a break from doing the laundry and went up into the room with Minki at his heels. "Aiba, is there anything else you'd like to wash today? I'm trying to get all the laundry done today," he stated.

"None," Aiba replied as he looked up from his laptop. "I think you got everything," he said as he looked at the page he was browsing. He paused. "Yuu...I think you should take a look at this…" he said.

Shirota leaned over Aiba's shoulder. "What is it?" he asked.

-break-

Kimeru sighed as he got off camera to sit down a bit. _'This is tiring...'_ he thought as he checked his phone to see if he had any messages.

-break-

When Pearl stopped, Takigawa thought it best to take a break as he caught his breath. They stopped right in front of a convenience store. Scooping Pearl into his arms, he decided to head inside to purchase a bottle of water for his jog back home. He entered and moved to the other side of the store where the beverages were kept. He stopped when something caught his eyes as he passed the magazine section. He doubled back and took the magazine from its rack.

"What the...?" he said, all words escaped him.

-break-

Aiba frowned as he adjusted his glasses. "Over here..." he said, directing him to the showbiz news section.

"Known J-pop artist Kimeru, rumored to be dating Kai Asami, famous actress known for her appearance in one of Kimeru's videos **'Timeless'**," Aiba read out loud. He looked at Shirota. "We both know that this isn't true...right?" he asked.

Shirota nodded. "He's not that type of person to be cheating on Takigawa-senpai..!" he said defensively, straightening up as Minki mewed at their feet.

Aiba nodded. "You're right. Kimeru-senpai wouldn't...he loves Takigwa-senpai too much to cheat on him, I'm sure," he said as he switched windows. "By the way...Endo updated his blog...and he added a picture of us...that attracted the attention of many..." he said as he clicked the picture of one of their private moments back during the TeniMyu rehearsals.

Shirota narrowed his eyes. "Why that little..." Shirota muttered darkly before he remembered the laundry. "Shoot!" He rushed to the door. "I'll be right back!" he announced before running down to the laundry room.

Aiba chuckled as he watched Shirota dash out of the room. Minki jumped on the bed and lay on his stomach, purring.

-break-

"Kimeru! Time for the second take!" The director called out.

"Hai..." Kimeru answered as he placed his phone in his bag again.

-break-

Pearl barked when she saw the magazine Takigawa had placed back on the rack, moving to retrieve what he was there for before moving to the cashier to purchase it. _'It's not true... He couldn't... No, he wouldn't..!'_ the debated with himself, setting down the 150 yen before taking his bottled water and heading out of the store. Setting Pearl back down, he pulled his hat down before jogging back home.

-break-

Kimeru frowned. "No text...no calls...nothing..." he said as soon as he finished with the shoot.

He was looking forward to something…anything from Takigawa that day; after all he _did_ tell him that it was his last day of shooting. He sighed. "Oh well..." he said with a smile. "At least I have tonight to look forward to..." he said softly as he grabbed his bag. "Thank you for your hard work everyone! I'll go ahead!" he called out to the crew as he left.

-break-

Takigawa was too engrossed in what he had seen in the magazine earlier that morning that he had forgotten all sense to pick up his phone and check up on Kimeru. He was in the kitchen, chopping vegetables as he prepared dinner, his mind still battling it out. _'What would have been the point of what we went through..?'_ he furiously shook his head as he accidentally cut himself with the knife as he retracted his hand and saw the blood spew out from the cut. "What am I thinking?" he scolded himself, moving to the sink to wash the cut.

-break-

Kimeru opened the door and dropped his bag on the ground. "I'm home!" he called out as he slumped on the couch. He frowned when he heard no response. "Eiji?" he called out again.

"Welcome home," Takigawa greeted rather sheepishly, emerging from the kitchen as he was applying the bandage to his finger.

Kimeru frowned as he saw the bandage. "What happened?" he asked, immediately standing up and walking over. Their phone rang. "Leave it and let the machine answer it...let me look at that," he said as he took Takigawa's hand to look at the wound.

"_Kimeru and Takigawa's place, we're unable to answer right now, please leave a message after the beep," _came Kimeru's voice from the answering machine.

"Kime-kun! It's Asami-chan! Thanks for today! I really had fun with you! Bye!" came Asami Kai's melodious voice.

Kimeru ignored this and continued fussing over the small cut, his mind wondering what else might happen later during his plan.

-break-

Shirota, having been preoccupied by the laundry, was in the room for most of the afternoon, watching over the washing machine and ironing the ones that were dry, and folding up the ones that were ironed. By the time dinner time came, he came out of the room, stretching his arms out above his head. "That was a productive afternoon!" he declared happily to himself.

Aiba leaned against the door frame with a smile on his face. "And since you've been acting like the perfect husband all day, I've made dinner," he said as he kissed Shirota on the cheek.

Shirota chuckled. "How thoughtful of you, _dear_," he replied teasingly as they walked off together to sit down to dinner.

Aiba chuckled. "I think I have the right to reward you tonight," he said as he sat down on his seat.

"I'm glad you did," Shirota stated happily, taking his seat at the table as well.

-break-

Takigawa allowed Kimeru to examine his cut before he listened to the person on the other line. It was after he had heard who it was - and how she spoke, no less - did his temper flare. "Are you going out with her?" he asked Kimeru darkly, trying to keep the tone of his voice leveled.

Kimeru frowned as he re-bandaged the cut. "Now is not the time to talk about her," he said. He looked up at Takigawa; he knew this was the time to reveal his plan. He felt a bit nervous about it but decided it would be the best time.

"Why are you avoiding the question?" Takigawa snapped, wrenching his hand away. "I've kept telling myself that the rumor isn't true, Kimeru. But I want a straight answer from you right now. Are you going out with her or not?" he demanded.

"Are you saying that you doubt me?" Kimeru shot back furiously. He had gone through a lot today, and he didn't really handle stress well. He stepped back. "And where the hell did you hear this? It must have been a reliable source for you to snap at me!" he said, glaring.

"It _would_ be deemed reliable if you admitted to it!" Takigawa fired back. "Kai Asami... are you going out with her or not?" he repeated.

"Will you please stop yelling at me!" Kimeru said stepping back a few more steps. "Why would you care, anyway? You didn't even bother to check how I was this morning, nor yesterday! All you ever did was give me that stupid massage a few days back!" he yelled, tears forming in his eyes. "I went home, expecting that you would at least welcome me but instead this is what I get? You would rather believe someone else…than me?" he continued, tears spilling down his cheeks.

"Why would I care? Because apparently this whole business about your supposed relationship with some girl is leaving me confused about what _we _have. If you answered me and said that it wasn't true then things wouldn't even have gone this far!" Takigawa declared.

Kimeru looked away, hurt beyond words. "You might as well have slapped me across the face and told me that you didn't trust me…that whatever you believed in could crumble down by a simple set of words." he said as he grabbed his bag. "You know what..." he said as he turned around to face the door. "I don't think I can live with that...After all...why else are we doing this if you can't even trust me..." he said quietly. "...goodbye, Takigawa-san...I'm sorry for the trouble..." he said as he went out and ran.

The rain that had started a few minutes ago came down harder, conveniently masking Kimeru's tears as he headed to the place he first thought of.

-break-

"Wow...it's really coming down hard…" Aiba said as he looked out the window. The doorbell suddenly rang. "Who would be crazy enough to be out in this rain?" he said as he stood up to get the door. "K-Kimeru senpai?" he exclaimed.

"Aiba..." Kimeru said sadly.

Aiba acted on instinct and held Kimeru who broke down crying. "Yuu! I need help here!" he called out.

Shirota abandoned the dishes and wiped his hands dry before moving out to the living room where he saw Kimeru in Aiba's arms. He ran upstairs and retrieved a towel and came back moments later, bending over and placing it over Kimeru. "What happened?" he asked with a frown.

-break-

Takigawa's gaze was held by the door. A part of him had wanted to run after Kimeru, but the other kept his feet planted to the floor. He gave off a shuddered breath and moved forward and closed the door, locking it before heading upstairs. _'Damn it... If only he'd answer me properly, this wouldn't have happened...'_ he thought to himself angrily as he locked himself in the bathroom and took the longest shower of his life.

-break-

"It's through...everything...it's over…" Kimeru managed to say between sobs. Aiba felt his heart clench at the sight. He always thought that Kimeru was strong and seeing his senpai like this just broke his heart.

Then something clicked. "Senpai...is this about...Asami-san?" Aiba asked.

Kimeru's bloodshot eyes snapped open as he looked at his junior. "How did..." he said.

Aiba frowned. "Yuu...I think you need to go to Takigawa-senpai's place and talk to him...I'll take care of Kimeru-senpai...and bring some clothes in case you need to stay the night," he said as he helped Kimeru up. "Come on, senpai...we're going upstairs...you need to get dry..." he told Kimeru who nodded silently.

Shirota looked over to Kimeru before nodding. "Alright… I'll keep in touch, Hiroki," he said, rising and moving upstairs to retrieve a bag and headed back down to retrieve a set of clothes from the laundry room. Zipping the bag closed, he moved and kissed Aiba on the cheek before pulling his shoes on. "I'm going!" he announced, grabbing an umbrella from the rack and heading out.

-break-

Takigawa was sitting down in the tub, still fully clothed with the water splashing down on him like rain. His attention was focused on the bandage on his finger. _'Idiot...'_ he repeated to himself before he clenched his fist and slammed it to the marble, biting back his screams from the throbbing pain that proceeded.

-break-

Shirota arrived not long after and used his set of keys to enter the house. "Takigawa-senpai?" he called, stowing his umbrella into the umbrella rack before taking off his shoes and looking around. There came no response. Pearl came running forward, barking at him. "Hi there, Pearl. Where's Takigawa-senpai?" he asked as the dog; as if understanding the question, she led him to the bathroom upstairs and pawed at the door. Shirota nodded and knocked on the door. "Takigawa-senpai?" he called again.

-break-

Aiba had given Kimeru a change of clothes he could use and Kimeru nodded at him thankfully. As Aiba headed over downstairs to get Kimeru something to eat, Minki hopped on the bed and mewed at Kimeru.

"Hi there…" Kimeru said quietly as he stroked the kitten who purred in satisfaction.

"I see that you met Minki..." Aiba said as he re-entered the room with a tray of food. "Something to warm you up, senpai…" he said.

Kimeru looked at the food, and tears welled up in his eyes again. "I was supposed to surprise Eiji today…" he began. "I was going to take him to the restaurant that he really liked... and the press would be there... I wanted this day to be that day to let everyone find out who I'm with…" he said, looking down at the kitten who had curled up on his lap. "But instead...today...I...I…" he trailed off, tears starting to flow down again.

Aiba frowned as he placed the tray on the side table and sat beside Kimeru, holding him. "I lost him, Aiba! I lost everything!" Kimeru said, clutching onto Aiba. "I wouldn't care if I lost my popularity...my job...just not him...not...Eiji..." Kimeru finished, sobbing on Aiba's shoulder. The younger boy held him closer, a few tears escaping him.

-break-

Shirota pulled out the set of keys and found the bathroom door key and hastily unlocked the door, pushing it open. "Takigawa-senpai!" he yelled, seeing what the older man was doing to himself.

Takigawa was submerging himself in the water, repeatedly banging his fist to the marble tub. He had dismissed the pain - even the blood from his knuckles from his impulsive action - already before Shirota had moved forward and turned the water off.

"Takigawa-senpai..." Shirota stated quietly, moving to help him out of the tub, but Takigawa slapped his hand away.

"Leave me alone..." he muttered in reply. Beyond the water running down his face, evident tears were amongst them, the newest of which formed, clouding his eyes once more. "K...K...Kime..." he stuttered, but couldn't find the strength to finish the name before he broke down into tears, burying his face into his knees.

Shirota moved to the cabinet and retrieved a towel before getting into the tub with him. "Takigawa-senpai..." he soothed, placing the towel over him before wrapping his arms around him tightly. "We'll... We'll get through this..." he whispered quietly. "But we need to get out of this tub first and get you dry and that hand of yours dressed..."

Takigawa nodded after a long moment's silence as the two Tezuka actors stood and got out of the tub; Shirota moving to retrieve Takigawa a fresh set of clothes to change into.

-break-

After what seemed like a whole hour Kimeru managed to calm down and eat the food Aiba had brought up for him. "Aiba...I'm sorry for bothering you and Shirota like this..." he said.

Aiba shook his head. "Please, senpai...it's alright. After all...I owe you a lot," he said with a smile. "Now go ahead and rest and I'll take care of this…" he said as he took the tray and headed downstairs to clean up.

After he was finished with the dishes he went back up to see Kimeru already asleep due to both exhaustion and stress. He adjusted the blanket so that it would cover Kimeru completely and felt his heart ache again when he heard Kimeru mutter Takigawa's name as a few tears fell from his eyes.

He quietly left the room and brought out his phone. He moved to call Shirota but decided against it. Instead, he just texted what he wanted to say.

_'Kimeru-senpai just fell asleep...I've never seen him like this Yuu, it's awful. He's even calling for senpai in his sleep...speaking of...how's Takigawa-senpai?'_ he typed as he sent the message.

-break-

After Takigawa had changed, Shirota had looked at the damage to the older man's hand and dressed it as best as he could before he offered to make him something to eat to try and calm him down. "You don't have to..." Takigawa began as he sat himself on his bed.

"You haven't eaten dinner yet, right? It's the least I could do while I'm here," Shirota replied, giving his senpai a smile before leaving the room and headed downstairs. He raised an eyebrow at the mess in the kitchen. Apparently Takigawa was preparing dinner before something happened. He thought for a moment what he would be making before continuing to chop the vegetables that were left there. He came back to the room not long after with a tray, on which a bowl of vegetable soup and a glass of water was placed.

"You seemed to make out what I was planning to make," Takigawa managed to point out, sniffing as he wiped off the last of his tears. It seemed that he had cried again in the time Shirota was downstairs.

Shirota gave a small smile as he set the tray down on the table arranged in front of Takigawa. "It wasn't too difficult to figure out, senpai," he admitted. "Please, have some while it's hot."

Takigawa stared at it for a long moment. He took the spoon and took a spoonful of soup before tears welled up again as his hand began trembling. Shirota managed to grab hold of his hand and steadied it, lowering it back into the bowl to avoid any spills. "After I saw the rumor in the magazine this morning... I got me confused... It completely left my mind to call him at work today... I decided to have him confirm it when things settled down a bit... I was planning to make it up to him for not calling him up at work by making him some soup to get him to calm down from his stressful day, but..." The tears were sliding down his cheeks again.

Shirota moved to sit beside the older man, wrapping an arm around him, keeping him steady.

"That Asaki person called the house... I had meant to ask him about her... But when I heard her voice, everything just came flooding back... The doubt I had... The questions that were left unanswered... So I just... I snapped at him, without even thinking things through!" he declared, crying endlessly now.

"Takigawa-senpai..." Shirota said, handing him a handkerchief. "I... I may not know what you're going through... But please, you have to calm down... Come on, let's get this soup down your throat… It'll make you feel better, na?" he tried.

After much calming down and soothing words from Shirota, Takigawa managed to down the soup and the glass of water. Shirota brought the tray back down to the kitchen and returned upstairs to set the table aside before finding that his senpai had already fallen asleep. He moved quietly and folded up the table, setting it against the wall and adjusted the blanket over the older man. Just as he was about to leave the room he heard a voice calling out from the bed.

"Kime-kun..."

Shirota heaved a big sigh and left the room. He headed downstairs and pulled out his phone. He received a text message from Aiba. Shirota moved to the couch and slumped down onto it. He pressed on the 'Reply' option and typed:

_'Takigawa-senpai just fell asleep here as well... Seems like he's blaming himself for what's happened. Funny thing is, he's calling for Kimeru-senpai in his sleep, too...'_ he reread his message before sending it.

-break-

Aiba read Shirota's reply as he sighed. He pressed the reply button.

_'I'll keep an eye on Kimeru-senpai for a while, okay? Despite all this he needs to show up for his concert in a few days...be careful there...love you.' _Aiba typed before sending.

He went back in the room and looked at Kimeru, the tears had dried up – thankfully - but Aiba still felt bad. "Kime-senpai..." he said as he moved a lock away from his senior's face.

He then saw Minki curled up near Kimeru, and he smiled. "You're being a great help, Minki…" he said as he stoked the cat and lay down beside Kimeru.

"Aiba..?" Kimeru said.

"Oh, I'm sorry senpai…did I wake you?" he asked.

Kimeru shook his head. "Aiba...would it be selfish for me if I ask you to hold me?" he asked.

Aiba smiled. "Not at all senpai..." he answered as he placed his arms around the older man. Kimeru moved closer to him, finding a bit of comfort in the warmth Aiba provided.

"I pray that tomorrow would be a better day..." Aiba prayed as he fell asleep.

-break-

Shirota had closed his eyes, nearly falling asleep before his phone sounded as he received a reply from Aiba. Checking the time for a moment, his hand hovered over the keypad before deciding against it. He made to stand before he spotted a piece of paper on the couch as he picked it up.

_RESERVATION:  
Dinner for__ 2 __at __**Don Antonelli's Pizzeria.**__  
For September 14, 2008 only_

_____Requested by:__ Kimeru_

Shirota stood, pocketing the paper. _'So that's what Kimeru-senpai planned for tonight... Senpai'll want to see this in the morning..'_ he told himself before heading upstairs and brought a chair into Takigawa's room with him, deciding to keep watch over him from there. As he closed the door behind him, Takigawa stirred.

"Shirotan?" he called.

Shirota jumped. "I'm sorry... I'll just be-"

"Would you mind staying on the bed with me? I'm not quite used to having nobody to sleep with... Pearl's usually with me when Kimeru's not around, but it'd be a hassle to get her to come up, so... is that alright?" he asked sleepily.

Shirota hesitated before nodding. "Of course…" He moved onto the other side of the bed and lied down, pulling himself underneath the blanket.

"Arigatou, Shirotan..." Takigawa said, subconsciously wrapping an arm over the younger boy, pulling him into an embrace. "For tonight..." he said before drifting off to sleep.

"It's no trouble, senpai..." Shirota managed to reply before he himself fell asleep.

++break++

The next 2 days had Takigawa sulking, at times muttering to himself, apologizing to an embodiment of Kimeru that was only visible to himself. Shirota did not have any time to show Takigawa the note he had picked up that night when the two had argued.

+++September 17, 2006+++

The day of the concert came. Aiba had accompanied Kimeru backstage, earning a few questioning glances from security. Kimeru explained to everyone what had happened the day after and no one asked him to say more than needed, which the J-pop singer was thankful of.

-break-

Meanwhile, Shirota approached Takigawa, confronting him about the reservation note, offering his thoughts on things. Takigawa's eyes widened in realization before a fresh batch of tears burst from his eyes. "I... I need to go see him..." he muttered.

Shirota held out Takigawa's car keys. "It may not be too late to see his concert, senpai..." he said. Takigawa wiped the tears from his eyes and nodded firmly, taking the keys and heading out to the car, Shirota quickly following behind him.

-break-

Kimeru managed to keep up his facade of smiles, thanking his experience as Fuji in Myu for it. When the last song for the night started, however...the facade started to crack.

Aiba saw this and bit his bottom lip.

The song started and Kimeru closed his eyes...memory of the MTV flooded his mind, the MTV was with Takigawa.

_"Sukisasarisou na jikan ga futari__  
__Saegirou to shitemo tsunaida te wa mou hanasanai__  
__Utagau kokoro to kakehiki wa shizuka ni nemuraseyou__  
__Kimi ga soba ni iru kagiri_

_Aishiteru? Aishitenai? Kimi no kokoro ga shiritakute__  
__Gikochinakunaru kinou no boku wa__  
__Dare demo ii nandemo ii__  
__Sugaru tame no aitemu wo sagashiteitanda_

_Uso aimai na kotoba de kakushitekitanda__  
__Dakara ima wa boku ga kimi ni__  
__Idaita mono dashikittemiyou__"_

-break-_  
_

Takigawa and Shirota had made it to the concert hall where Kimeru was giving his concert, just as he was delivering his final number. Takigawa and Shirota headed backstage, with quick explanations to security before they were allowed through.

-break-

_"Sukisasarisou na jikan ga futari  
__Saegirou to shitemo tsunaida te wa mou hanasanai  
______Utagau kokoro to kakehiki wa shizuka ni nemuraseyou  
__Kimi ga soba ni iru kagiri  
__Nukumori ni deaeta kara wakariaeru_

_Koi shiteru? Koi shitenai? Hontou no boku ga shiritakute__  
__Wakaranakunaru kodawaru imi wo__  
__Shouganai koredemo ii__  
__Akirameru no wa umakute hito wo urayanda_

_Jibun rashisa ubaiau geemu wa mou iranai__  
__Hoshii mono wa hitotsu dake da__  
__Kimi to dake wa hanaretakunai_

_Kurikaeshi yureru jikan ga boku wo__  
__Madowaseta to shitemo sashinobeta te wa mo hanasanai__  
__Inakunaru tsurasa to itoshisa mune ni kizanda nara__  
__Subete wo uketomerareru__  
__Nukumori ni deaeta kara wakariaeru "_

Kimeru opened his eyes to view the large screen behind him, freezing as he saw that the MTV was playing as he sang. He stopped."Eiji..." he said quietly. "I...I'm sorry I can't continue..." he said into the mic as he looked away, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. Aiba's eyes widened as he moved to find the director to ask that the lights be cut off.

-break-

Takigawa stopped to catch his breath when he reached the flank, spotting Kimeru on stage when he swore he saw tears ready to fall once more.

"Yuu?" Aiba said in surprise as he saw Shirota with Takigawa running up to them, turning around when the older man passed him to get to the stage. He smiled. "Finally..." he said.

Not taking notice of the director nor of Aiba, Takigawa grabbed a wireless mic and continued the song before slowly stepping out on stage towards Kimeru.

"_Sukisasarisou na jikan ga futari__  
__Saegirou to shitemo tsunaida te wa mou hanasanai__  
__Utagau kokoro to kakehiki wa shizuka ni nemuraseyou__  
__Kimi ga soba ni iru kagiri__  
__Kurikaeshi yureru jikan ga boku wo__  
__Madowaseta to shitemo sashinobeta te wa mo hanasanai__  
__Inakunaru tsurasa to itoshisa mune ni kizanda nara__  
__Subete wo uketomerareru__  
__Nukumori ni deaeta kara subete wakaru_"

Kimeru's eyes snapped open when he heard someone continue the song. "E-Eiji?" he said, unsure if he was just seeing an illusion.

Once the song ended, Takigawa gave the singer a small smile before wrapping his arms protectively around him, not wanting to let go. "I'm sorry..." he whispered into Kimeru's ear. "I'm _so_ sorry..."

When Kimeru felt Takigawa hold him, the tears he held back flowed freely down as he released the mic and threw his arms around him. "Eiji..." he said as he held him tight. "Asami and I...there's nothing between us… absolutely nothing...I'm sorry I snapped at you! I'm sorry! I love you…" he said.

Unbeknowngst to the two, the mic that Takigawa stil held and the one Kimeru dropped picked up everything that Kimeru had said, leaving the crowd in anticipation at what would happen next. Even Aiba took hold of Shirota's hand.

Faintly hearing the echo of things, Takigawa pulled back. Smirking, knowing that all was going to go down in the news in the morning, declared, "I love you, Kime-kun..." before bending over and sealing the statement with a passionate kiss.

-break-

"They're finally... back together... _officially_ together..." Shirota said with a little chuckle.

Aiba chuckled. "Those three days were well worth it..." he said. "Mou...why didn't _we_ have that big a press release?" he asked in mock hurt.

-break-

Kimeru didn't care at that very moment and kissed back. The crowd cheered their support and the press snapped pictures. That was when Kimeru remembered where he was. He pulled back immediately and smiled, a blush playing on his cheeks. He bent down and retrieved his mic. "Everyone... I would like to introduce…my one and only. Takigawa Eiji..!" he said and the cheers became louder. Takigawa nodded to the crowd, a tint of red already on his cheeks but he didn't care.

Kimeru, elated by the moment glanced at the other couple backstage. "And we have two other guests present...and I'm sure you would love to see them again," he said. "Shirota Yuu and Aiba Hiroki..." he called out. "The two people I'm indebted to as of this very moment."

-break-

"That's because you decided to confess back-" Shirota was cut off when the director had pushed him and Aiba forward. He sighed and headed out to join the other two on stage.

Takigawa turned to the two as they came onstage to join them. He mouthed 'Arigatou' to the two before applauding them, the crowd following suit.

"For old time's sake..." Kimeru said as he looked at the sounds crew. "I believe we have _**'Depend on Me'**_ from TeniMyu..." he said. The crowd went wild at the mention of Tenimyu.

The music started. Kimeru and the others were handed headsets, just like the ones they used in Myu.

"_Omae no DAMAGE Ore ni yudanero __  
__Ore ga omae wo Mamotteyaru__  
__Tatakai no ibuki Fukikaesu made__  
__Ore ga omae no teashi ni naru,"_Kimeru began. He then nodded to Aiba.

_"Shouri no IMAGE Ore ni azukero__  
__Omae no bun mo Idondeyaru__  
__Kurushii kokyuu wo Totonoeru made__  
__Ore ga omae ni ki wo okuru ze!"_ Aiba continued.

"_Depend on me Daijoubu da__  
__Ore to omae wa futari de hitori__  
__Depend on me Shinpai suruna__  
__Ore to omae wa Golden Pair,_" Shirota continued, intertwining his fingers with Aiba's as he sang before turning to Takigawa.

"_Depend on me Makaseteoke__  
__Itsumo futari wa hyouriittai__  
__Depend on me Nandemo nai sa__  
__Kitto futari wa SOUL BROTHERS,_" Takigawa continued the song, bringing an arm over Kimeru's shoulders, stepping from side to side before nodding to the group.

Aiba and Kimeru smiled as the four continued the song.

_"Depend on me Daijoubu da__  
__Ore to omae wa futari de hitori__  
__Depend on me Shinpai suruna__  
__Ore to omae wa Golden Pair_

_Donna pinchi no toki mo__  
__Futari de genkai wo koeteikou!_"

+++September 18, 2006+++

Sure enough, almost all of the newspapers the following day covered the event and placed it on the headlines.

Aiba chuckled as he read the newspaper. "We made the front page, Yuu..." he said.

"Seems your want for a bigger press release has been fulfilled," Shirota teased as he spotted the news and kissed Aiba on the cheek as he sat beside him on the couch. "I'm glad everything turned out well in the end," he stated.

Aiba smiled. "Hell yeah," he said. "It's nice to finally have this out in the open...I've been receiving emails from everyone I know, congratulating us... I'm sure that the senpais are receiving them as well," he added.

"You'd imagine the fan mail everybody's been giving us through the company," Shirota pointed out before heaving a big sigh, closing his eyes. "But for now, I just want to relax and enjoy this time with you, Hiroki..." he coaxed, resting his head on the younger boy's shoulder and slowly drifted away to sleep.

-break-

Kimeru in the meantime saw the news via internet. He smiled as he showed the news to Takigawa. "That should shut the rumor up quite nicely, don't you think?" he said as he glanced at the picture of the two of them kissing.

Takigawa nodded. "It did. Though that would mean that I would have to apologize _again_ if you keep bringing up the topic of 'that rumor', you know..." he said with a frown. "So, I'm sorry I doubted you."

Kimeru sighed. "Takigawa Eiji...how many times must I tell you that it is also my fault for not telling you immediately?" he asked as he set his laptop down and removed his glasses. "Let's just forget about it, alright?" he said as stood from his place on the desk and lay down beside Takigawa on the bed. "I got what I wanted in the end and everything worked out fine...now the whole of Japan knows that you're mine..." he added as he adjusted to place his head on Takigawa's shoulder "…and I'm yours," he finished with a smile.

Takigawa smirked. "If that's how you want it..." He watched Kimeru lie down beside him before he brought a hand up and stroked through his hair. "That's less trouble for us, now is it?" he stated with a smile. "I'm very glad everything worked out..." _'Now I can finally prepare your perfect day...'_ he ended to himself, smiling as he closed his eyes, allowing sleep to take him.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

We look forward to your reviews and possible suggestions. :)


	6. Anniversary Revisited

**Title:** Anything for You

**Author/Artist:** snooperj & Bloodysamurai

**Series/Pairing(s):** TeniMyu; Mainly Takigawa Eiji x Kimeru & Shirota Yuu x Aiba Hiroki

**Notes:** Here is the 6th chapter entitled **Anniversary Revisited**. This chapter elaborates on Takigawa's long planned anniversary celebration to make up for being sick and disabled on the date of his and Kimeru's anniversary. It spans the entire day of celebration from morning to night of September 19, 2006. We're introduced to various flashbacks from Takigawa and Kimeru. A side-story of Shirota and Aiba also happens in this chapter as it describes how they went about the day themselves.

**ALSO! None of the authors of this roleplay/fanfic own TeniMyu or the actors, but are mere fangirls of the musical series and corresponding actors we write about. Everything that progresses in the story are the creation of our witty imaginations.

* * *

+++September 19, 2006+++

Early the next day, Takigawa had gotten up with the help of his phone alarm and slipped away from Kimeru. He stealthily moved to the shower and got ready for the day. After dressing up - with a quick debate on which shirt to wear, but chose one of Kimeru's gifts to him for his birthday -, he headed downstairs to prepare the first stage of his plan. Today, he was going to pay Kimeru back for the anniversary celebration they _should_'ve had and cooked him a meal fit for the gods.

Half an hour later, Takigawa had filled up the tray with a full breakfast of Fresh fruit topped with low-fat yogurt and crispy whole-grain cereal, oatmeal, and a glass of mango juice. After arranging the tray, he brought it upstairs and quietly re-entered the room, setting the tray down on the side table and took a seat on the bedside, waiting for Kimeru to wake up. _'I'm sure you were feeling the same way... But I missed you so much..._ he said with a smile to himself.

Kimeru stretched a hand over Takigawa's side of the bed and frowned when he felt nothing but the sheets and a pillow. "Huh?" he said sleepily as he opened his eyes. "Ei..."he muttered as he moved to sit up and stopped when he saw Takigawa sitting on a chair beside the bed. "...ji?" he said as he blinked a few more times.

Satisfied in knowing that he wasn't dreaming, Kimeru smiled. "Good Morning..." he greeted.

Takigawa smiled. "Good morning," he greeted in return, gesturing to the tray on the side table. "Would you like some breakfast?" he offered.

Kimeru looked over at the table and his eyes lit up at the sight of the food. "Yes please," he answered with a nod.

"Just relax yourself today. I've got everything planned out," Takigawa said as he moved to set the other table by the bed and transferred the tray there so that Kimeru could have breakfast.

Kimeru smiled as he surveyed the breakfast before that was being set up. "Wow...you outdid yourself today..." he said happily. "How about you, did you already eat? We can share," he added.

"It's to pay you back for all the hard work you did taking care of me, as well as for the anniversary we didn't get to celebrate properly," Takigawa explained.

Kimeru blinked. "Silly Eiji...I don't mind that, you were injured after all and I told you that I've always wanted to do that," he said.

"Ever heard of the word, 'gratitude'?" Takigawa teased before shaking his head. "I'm alright, that's for _you_," he emphasized.

Kimeru chuckled. "Alright alright...Itadakimasu!" he said as he started to eat the food prepared for him.

-break-

"Minki! Not the couch!" Aiba yelled early in the morning, he was downstairs since it was his turn to do the breakfast, as he ran to the kitten that hid herself went under the couch. It mewed at him and he sighed. "I think I should get you a scratching post..." he muttered as he bent down to take the kitten. "Now look what you've done...you're not white anymore..." he scolded as he reached out.

Minki gave off a warning hiss and before Aiba could react she scratched his hand. "Itai!" Aiba exclaimed as he pulled his hand away, seeing that it was now decorated with three long, bleeding scratches.

-break-

After Kimeru finished the food, he smiled at Takigawa. "That was a great way to start the morning." he said. "So...what do you have planned for today?" he asked.

Takigawa smiled sweetly as he stood, taking the tray with him. "We're going out for the rest of the day. So go and get showered and dressed. I'll meet you downstairs," he said, leaning over and stole a kiss from Kimeru before leaving the room; off to dispose of the used materials to the kitchen sink.

-break-

Shirota sleepily shifted in bed, his arm stretching out to Aiba's side of the bed before it hit the mattress. Shirota's eyes shot open at this as he pushed himself up, rubbing his eyes. "Aibacchin...?" he called, looking around the room before falling back onto the pillows, sleep overtaking him once more.

-break-

Aiba placed his hand under running water as he cursed under his breath. "Pre-teen...animals..." he muttered darkly. He glanced at the table where breakfast was already waiting. He sighed as he turned off the tap, thinking if he should put something on the scratches. "Nah...they'll heal better if exposed..." he said, a soft mew by the door caught his attention. Aiba glared. "I'll deal with you later…" he said as he went upstairs to retrieve his sleeping boyfriend.

"Yuu?" he said as he peeked through the door.

-break-

"Hai~" Kimeru said with a playful salute. He stood up and stretched, fixing the bed before heading to the bathroom where he turned on the warm water and took a bath. "Huh?" he said as he noticed a small damage on the tub. "...that's strange..." he muttered and thought that he'll just ask about it later.

-break-

Shirota shifted in bed at the sound of his name but didn't stir. He wanted to sleep in.

Aiba frowned as he saw Shirota still asleep. "Yuu...it's already 8:30 in the morning...come on, get up," he said as he went to Shirota and shook him in hopes to get him to wake up.

Shirota stirred again and rubbed his sleepy eyes. "Can't we just sleep in today, Aibbachin?" he pleaded, turning to his lover with a pout.

Aiba pouted. "Fine...sleep in if you like," he said with a heavy sigh. He didn't know why he was cranky today; Endo used to tease him about it and called the phase his "monthly" since it always lasted a whole week every month.

Shirota had moved to go back to sleep as he seized a pillow and pulled it to him as he rolled over on his side before finding himself falling off the side of the bed with a loud thud. He slowly pushed himself up, bringing a hand to his head as he shook it gingerly. _'Ow...'_ he winced when he felt a bump at the back of his head.

Aiba was going to leave the room when he heard a loud bump behind him; he quickly turned around. "Yuu!" he exclaimed as he rushed to Shirota's side. He felt around the other's head and felt a small bump. "I'll get some ice.." he muttered as he went out, coming back a few moments later with an ice bag and placed it on Shirota's head.

Shirota winced when the ice was applied, nodding to Aiba. "Sankyu..."

Aiba sighed as he sat down beside Shirota. The first thought that came to mind was that he wanted to strangle the older boy, though he didn't exactly know why.

Shirota was drifting off to sleep again, but shook it off when the ice bag shifted precariously over his bump. He got to his feet, dusting himself off, keeping the ice bag in place as he did so.

Aiba frowned even more before standing up. "Breakfast is downstairs..." he muttered as he went out of the room, grabbing his PSP as he went.

Shirota rubbed his eyes before following groggily. He didn't really understand why he was so sleepy today, but all the same; Shirota mustered all his strength to keep his eyes open and headed down the stairs uneasily, gripping the banister for support as he did so.

-break-

Kimeru was singing _**'Make You Free'**_ as he got out of the bath to dress up, contemplating for a while on what to wear. He went for a simple look with a purple shirt that said, "Yeah, I rock!" with a small peace sign and a pair of jeans. As he reached the chorus of the song, he headed downstairs.

Takigawa had just returned from the backyard, playing with Q for a while and fed him before strolling into the living room where he saw Kimeru already waiting. He quickly moved to wash his hands over at the kitchen sink, drying them promptly with a towel before moving to the front door, taking a small bag and his car keys before opening the door. "To the car, then?" he offered, handing Kimeru the bag. "You'll need this," he added.

Kimeru blinked as he was handed the bag. "O...K...?" he said as he zipped it open to look inside. _'Well...at least my camera and wallet are here…' _he thought as he followed Takigawa. "Where are we going?" he asked with a smile.

"A few places," Takigawa simply replied as he shooed Kimeru out the door, locked it and headed to the car, glad he had filled the tank the other day for their series of traveling today. Once both were in the car, Takigawa headed off and began driving off to a place only he among the two would know.

Kimeru looked at him with curiosity evident in his eyes. "Give me a hint?" he asked.

Takigawa considered it for a moment. "You'll be seeing a lot of mountaintops," he said, choosing his words carefully.

"That's informative..." Kimeru muttered as he looked out of the car.

Takigawa smiled to himself despite the long drive ahead of them. His first place to visit was the Nagano prefecture, where they could stop over and see a part of the Hida Mountains that stretched across the Nagano, Toyama, Gifu and Niigata prefectures. It was good way to start the day. "How you ever been to Nagano, Kime-kun?" Takigawa asked all of a sudden.

"Nagano?" Kimeru repeated as he thought. "No...I haven't been there before," he answered.

"Since it's all the way in the Chūbu region, we may have to make a stopover somewhere in Gunma for lunch," Takigawa explained. "It would be nice to see the Hida Mountains at this time of the year," he added.

"Sou ka..." Kimeru said with a smile. "You really had this planned out, I see..." he observed.

"I've been planning it since our anniversary... I felt bad to be unable to celebrate it properly, and I've come up with a few ideas to thoroughly - hopefully - make today memorable," Takigawa explained.

Kimeru smiled as he looked at him. "It'll be memorable for me as long as you're with me," he said with a chuckle.

Takigawa smiled as he turned a corner to the highway.

-break-

Aiba frowned as he sat on the couch, turning his PSP on and playing Tekken 5. "Stupid...aggression...must...fight...off..." he muttered as he rapidly hit the buttons.

-break-

"KAZUKI!" Takuya yelled, Kazuki grabbed a pillow and placed it over his head.

"What?" he grumbled out, Takuya jumped on the bed and pulled him to get out of it.

"You have to warn Shirotan!" the younger boy said.

Kazuki groaned. "It's that time of the month already?" he asked as he felt around for his phone.

"Hai~~I've already warned Takumi about RuiRui already," the younger one answered.

Kazuki yawned as he texted a message to Shirota muttering something about Aiba and Ruito being part female. _'Oi, Shirotan...it's "That time" again...according to Takuya...you better be careful...unless you want a hair iron with your name on it like a few months ago...or worse...sleep out of the bedroom.. Say hi to Aibacchin for us'_ he typed. He re-read it once before sending it. "There...happy?" he grumbled.

"Hai~~" Takuya answered as he went back to Kazuki's side and the two fell asleep again...until…

"Ruito goes through the same thing as Aiba every month?" Kazuki exclaimed, sitting up in disbelief.

-break-

Shirota had just reached the foot of the stairs before hearing his phone upstairs. Since it was playing Aiba's 'Hand in Hand', it was a text message. Not wanting to trouble himself with going back up to retrieve the device, he moved into the dining area and stumbled over into a chair.

"Come on, Lee...DIE!" Aiba exclaimed, making Minki, who was sitting on the couch, jump and run towards Shirota.

The kitten jumped on the older man's lap and tried to get into his shirt.

"'...Stage.7?" Aiba growled as he continued to abuse the defenseless PSP.

Minki, successful in her attempt to hide beneath Shirota's shirt, scratched at him in fear of coming out.

"Itai!" Shirota exclaimed, pulling Minki out from under his shirt, sending the kitten a glare and gently lowered him to the floor. "I don't have time for this..." he muttered, finding himself fully awake before he looked around. He lowered the ice bag on the table and moved to the living room. "Aibacchin?" he called.

"What?" Aiba asked as he continued his game, his glasses slipping a bit off his nose.

Minki mewed at them before running of the direction of the backyard.

Shirota shrugged at the sight of his boyfriend on the couch. "Oi, it's too early for you to be playing like this... Isn't that why you had to start wearing glasses?" he stated, moving towards him, slumping down beside him before he looked down at his shirt. "Ah, shoot..." he cursed, finding a familiar stroke of three lines seeping through his white shirt; evident scratches running down his stomach as he groaned. "That cat's going to need a scratching post if he wants to stay here..." Shirota pointed out as he moved to stand.

Aiba paused his game as he looked at Shirota. "Let me see that..." he said as he placed the console down and lifted Shirota's shirt "She got you too, huh..?" he said with a frown. "Wait here..." he muttered as he stood to get the medicine kit, returning a few moments later. "This will sting..." he said as he cleaned the scratch and put ointment on it. A drop of antiseptic reached his own wound and he hissed, shaking his hand. "Darn it…" he muttered as he examined it before sighing, putting back the antiseptic in the kit.

Shirota watched Aiba treat the scratch as he winced as soon as the antiseptic came into contact with the wound, but gripped the couch to prevent himself from moving away. When Aiba was done, Shirota gingerly took hold of his hand. "Having a kitten around is apparently troublesome..." Shirota noted before sighing, leaning back on the couch and momentarily forget his fall earlier. It was when his head settled down did he feel the bump still there before he stood. "Darn it... I can't seem to relax today..." he muttered to himself before moving back to the dining area.

Aiba nodded. "Well...you had your second misfortune today…so there's just one more left...as they say, misfortune comes in threes," he said as he stood up to take the medicine kit back in the shelf.

The doorbell suddenly rang. Aiba rushed to the door and opened it, revealing their neighbor, Shiozawa Hidemasa, St. Rudolph's Mizuki actor. "Ah, Aibacchin..." he said.

"Shiozawa-kun...what brings you here? I thought you and KENN were out of town..?" Aiba asked.

"Aa, we just got back…ano sa...the reason I came here…do you two perhaps...own a cat?" Shiozawa asked.

Aiba felt his blood go cold. "Y-yeah...why?"

Shiozawa looked down. "Ano sa...our...German Shepperd..." he started.

Aiba's eyes widened. "Where's Minki?" he asked, taking hold of the other boy's collar.

Shirota felt a headache come on when Aiba had mentioned Minki. '_Why do I have a bad feeling about this...?'_ he thought to himself before he headed to the backyard in a silent search for the kitten.

"I'm sorry Aibacchin..." Shiozawa said. "…our dog really doesn't do well with cats and-"

"Minki was just a kitten!" Aiba said, his voice rising.

"I'm sorry!" Shiozawa said again, and this time Aiba let him go.

"Where's my cat?" he asked quietly.

"KENN buried him-"

"her"

"-her in our backyard...you wouldn't want to see it…" Shiozawa continued.

Aiba nodded wordlessly. "Alright..." he said after a long pause.

"I'm sorry Aiba," Shiozawa said again as he left.

Aiba closed the door and laid down on the couch, forgetting about his game.

Shirota sighed, returning inside and finding the untampered breakfast still on the table. Shirota took the plate and moved into the living room, sitting himself down on the other couch, eating in silence.

Aiba stayed quiet for a full minute before standing up. "I'm going to be at the studio room," he said as he went upstairs. As he entered the room he sighed and activated the radio, silently thanking Shirota for making it soundproof. He took a CD from the shelf and placed it in the radio, picking an instrumental version of one of his songs. **_'Yume no Kidou'_** started playing as he sang along.

_"shizukesa no naka ni kodama suru__  
__boku no kodou no koe_

_kumorizora miage warau kedo__  
__itsumo nanika tarinai__  
__sore wa naze darou?_

_mada kitto mienai dake de__  
__sono kado magareba__  
__mitakotonai yo na hana ga__  
__eda sotto sashidashiteru__  
__taiyou wa mienakutatte__  
__bokura wo terasu yo__  
__dare datte sorezore no basho__  
__mitsukete warau hi ga kuru_

_hohoemi nagara tooku e__  
__koko kara mieru kanata yori tooku__  
__koeru yo katsu tame dake ja nai__  
__kodomo no koro ni mitsuketa__  
__tsubasa no chizu ga bokura ni aru kara__  
__itsuka wa betsu betsu no sora e to__  
__tabidatte yukou_

_kachitai to nozomu koto nanka__  
__zutto nakatta kedo_

_mamoritai mono wo shiru tabi ni__  
__boku wa kawari hajimeta__  
__totemo tashikani_

_tatakatte mitsukeru mono wa__  
__itsudatte atarashii boku__  
__shiru koto nakatta hazu no__  
__dokka ni kakushiteta boku__  
__tsuyoi tte dou iu koto ka__  
__yatto wakattanda__  
__ima wo jibun wo shinjiru__  
__shinjikireru koto tado_

_me wo tojita mama yubisase__  
__kaze no yukue ga boku wo yobu hou e__  
__kotae wa kono GURIPPU ni aru__  
__yume no kidou wo egaite__  
__housha senjou wo hirogaru mirai e__  
__koko kara dare mo ga hashiri dasu__  
__furimuki mo sezu ni__  
__itsuka kitto_

_sotsugyou nante kotoba ni__  
__senaka osarete tachidomaru yori mo__  
__sono mama hashiri nukereba ii_

_hohoemi nagara tooku e__  
__housha senjou wo hirogaru mirai e__  
__koko kara dare mo ga hashiri dasu__  
__furimuki mo sezu ni__  
__itsuka kitto"_

-break-

Shirota watched Aiba head upstairs before he lowered his plate, his food half-finished before he stood. _'Looks like we'll have to look for a new pet...'_ he told himself as he moved to the kitchen and cleaned things up before heading to take a shower. When he was dressed, he passed the studio and wondered for a moment if he should head inside but decided against it and headed back downstairs. He moved to the front door and wrote a quick note.

_'Went out for a bit. Will try to be back before lunch.__  
__Love, Yuu.'_

He left it on the table by the door and slipped his shoes on before heading out, slipping his hands into his pockets. _'Hiroki was pretty happy about wanting a pet... Let's find something less troublesome...'_ Shirota told himself.

-break-

After releasing all the tension he felt inside he shut the sound system and went out. "Yuu?" he called out, receiving no answer, he frowned. "Yuu?" he called out again as he went downstairs. He spotted the note and sighed. "Way to go Hiroki...you chased away the person who cares with your mood swings..." he told himself. He sighed again as he sat on the couch and turned on the TV and watched what was on...which happened to be "Prince of Tennis" and it was the episode where Fuji lost against Tezuka. "So married..." he said, a small smile forming on his lips.

-break-

Shirota had jogged over to the nearest pet store and entered, looking around for a moment, wondering what to get as he weighed the pros and cons of having each animal - that wasn't to large or would be too noisy in the house - around as a pet. He settled for a small animal, and chose a Dutch colored Abyssinian from the pack and purchased it along with a few other things that involved a cage, a water container, a wheel and a large pack of wood shavings and pellet food before emerging from the store with both his hands full.

"Well, let's hope this lightens the mood a bit, na?" he told himself as he headed back to the house.

Shirota arrived at the front door in 10 minutes time. Realizing that he was going to have some trouble opening the door, he opted to ring the doorbell instead.

Aiba looked at the door when he heard the doorbell. "This better not be bad news...I had enough of those..." he muttered as he stood and opened the door. "Y-Yuu?" he said as he looked at his lover. "What's that?" he asked curiously as he took the cage from Shirota's hands as he leaned against the door to keep it open.

"_That_ is your new pet guinea pig," Shirota explained, moving into the house with the rest of the things and setting them down by the closet. Aiba closed the door as Shirota went inside before heading to sit on the couch again.

Aiba's eyes widened as he opened the cage and a small white and brown guinea pig looked up at him. "He's adorable!" he said with child-like enthusiasm as he picked up the small fluffy creature. The small animal made a small sound which made Aiba's smile grow wider. "I think I'll name you Tezuka!" he declared with finality. He then looked at Shirota whose back was still turned against him he smiled as he placed the animal back in its cage. He stood up and walked over to him and embraced him from behind. "Thank you..." he said softly.

Shirota staggered over the pack of wood shavings upon hearing what Aiba would be calling the guinea pig but managed to find his balance at the last minute. He smiled when he felt arms wrap themselves around him. "Don't mention it..." he said, taking Aiba's hands and escaped from the embrace before repositioning himself to face him, wrapping his own arms around the younger boy's neck and kissed him. "Anything for you, Hiroki," he whispered.

-break-

Kimeru smiled happily as he finished singing _**'With You'**_ as he and Takigawa continued their journey.

Not at all surprised that they were making excellent mileage, Takigawa was fondly listening to Kimeru sing and by the time the J-pop singer had finished, they had arrived in Gunma. "Let's stop for lunch," he announced, making his way through the side roads and found a particular restaurant that served excellent sushi and sashimi. He parked the car and headed inside with Kimeru, their hands joined, their fingers interlocked.

-break-

Aiba smiled. "I'm glad you came into my life..." he said as he rested his head on Shirota's shoulder."I'll be eternally grateful to Kenken for pushing me to tell you what I felt..." All the angst he felt totally faded away at that moment, and for the first time that day he felt at ease. "I love you..." he whispered.

Shirota stroked the boy's hair lovingly. "Kazuki tried giving me advice, though I ended up doing something outside his 'script'," he admitted with a chuckle.

Aiba chuckled. "And what was supposed to happen according to this...script?" he asked.

"When you confessed in that one breath statement, I was supposed to react in the same manner you did, no matter what it was," Shirota admitted with a chuckle of his own. "I thought it was silly to begin with."

Aiba grinned. "No it's not..." he said. "Really Yuu...thanks...you made my day...even if the day isn't technically over yet."

Shirota smirked. "Glad to be of service," he replied before stealing a kiss from the younger boy.

-break-

Kimeru smiled at Takigawa's openness, thanking that little incident during his concert. He looked around the place as they were led to a table. A few people seem to have recognized them and looked their way. Kimeru nodded to them and smiled, the female ones looked away with a blush while the guys simply nodded back. He chuckled in amusement. "Now I have every right to believe that wearing glasses doesn't hide your identity," he said.

"Well, with you being who you are, it wouldn't be difficult to recognize you if they knew you well enough," Takigawa said, sharing his thoughts as he took a seat and scanned the menu.

"I'll try wearing a wig next time," Kimeru said with a chuckle as he looked at the menu. Then he remembered something. "So... Eiji, i noticed a dent in the tub while I was taking a bath this morning..." he suddenly said "I didn't see that before..."

Takigawa cleared his throat. He had been right to wear gloves today, seeing that his injury from punching the marble had yet to heal. He was surprised that Kimeru took no notice of this artifact of clothing to comment on them. Even though Shirota had dressed it well enough to start healing, Takigawa had to go to the doctor a day before Kimeru's concert to have it looked at properly, much to his dislike and much to Shirota's protests. The knuckles were bleeding and sore, so it would take a while before he could move his fingers properly again. _'At least it was my left...'_ he thought to himself. "I'd be ruining today's celebration if I told you the truth..." Takigawa said ruefully.

Kimeru eyed the gloves with a sigh. "I think I already have an idea, anyway..." he said as he reached out to hold one of Takigawa's hands carefully. "Just...don't do that again okay?" he said. "I hate it when you get hurt," he said gently.

Takigawa nodded, squeezing Kimeru's hand softly. "Gomen... But... it was the only way I could think off to release all my frustration back then..." he said quietly before retracting his hand and decided to discard the gloves to show him the damage. "Seems I got a bit carried away," he stated, resting his bandaged hand on the table, soft colors of red staining the bandage over the knuckles.

Kimeru's eyes widened when he saw this. "Eiji..." he said as he looked at the bandages. He took Takigawa's left hand again and he surveyed the damage. "I'm buying you a punching bag..." he muttered. "Don't do this again, please?" he asked, looking at Takigawa.

Takigawa nodded firmly. "As long as we stay together, I won't be hitting any marbles anytime soon, Kime-kun," he mused. "Consider this a one-time-only sort of thing," he said, gently pulling his hand back and slipping his gloves back on. "Are we ready to order?" he asked, changing the subject.

Kimeru smiled. "Then you're going to be stuck with me for the rest of your life, Takigawa Eiji," he said with a small chuckle. He then turned his attention back to the menu. "Hmm...I can't decide...why don't _you_ order for the both of us, Eiji?" he said.

Takigawa grinned, leaning forward and placing a kiss on Kimeru's cheek. "I look forward to spending every day with you, Kimeru," he replied caressingly. Takigawa took his seat once more and looked at the menu. He considered it for a moment before calling the waitress and conveying the orders as he pointed them out on the menu. When he was through, he gave both menus back before turning back to Kimeru. "Forgive me if I ordered anything out of your taste, Kime-kun."

Kimeru smiled. "You know me...I basically eat anything," he reassured him. "Besides...I have yet to find food that I don't like."

Takigawa laughed. "How could I forget? I'm talking to a manic food person," he teased.

Kimeru winked at him. "Believe it!" he said as he laughed as well.

It didn't take long for their orders to arrive. "I'm impressed...you managed to order one of my favorites…" he said with a smile.

"Don't think I haven't been keeping track of your favorite dishes, Kime-kun," Takigawa argued soundly as he took his chopsticks. "Itadakimasu~!" he chimed before digging in.

Kimeru smiled. "Itadakimasu~" he echoed as he started on his food.

-break-

Shirota had gone off to make them lunch in the kitchen while Aiba was busy playing with Tezuka. As he was preparing the food, he checked his phone for any messages, finding Kazuki's and reading it for a moment before pausing, looking back over to Aiba. '_He gets mood swings...?'_ he thought before shaking his head and replied, '_Whether he had them or not, he seems to be alright now... Thanks for the heads up, though!' _before sending it, returning to making lunch.

"Who're you texting?" Aiba said playfully, Tezuka on his shoulder, as he approached Shirota. Tezuka, living up to his name, seemed to have good balance as he stayed on Aiba's shoulder no matter what movement the boy seemed to make.

Shirota took a moment to look over to Aiba and Tezuka before returning his attention to the food he was now cooking. "Kazuki," he replied.

Aiba grinned as he looked at what Shirota was cooking. "What's that?" he asked, his mood taking a complete turn from this morning.

Tezuka skillfully moved to Shirota's head instead as Aiba bent down to look.

"Make sure you're clinging on tightly, Tezuka. We don't want you getting hurt," Shirota warned the guinea pig as he turned to Aiba. "I'm trying out some Chicken Rice," he said with a smile.

Tezuka remained on Shirota's head despite his movements, much to the boy's amazement.

Aiba grinned. "Cookbook based?" he asked as he felt Tezuka jump back on his shoulder.

Shirota shook his head. "I'm experimenting again," he replied languidly.

"Oh~~I'll go set the table then!" Aiba said as he kissed Shirota on the cheek and went on his way to set the table, Tezuka perched comfortably on his shoulder.

Shirota chuckled, looking over to the doorway where Aiba had disappeared to before returning to the stove. "Someone's excited..." he told himself.

-break-

After the meal Kimeru offered to pay half of the bill.

Takigawa stopped him and paid for the bill himself. "Everything today is my treat. Alright?" he said before he stood. "It's about time we get going. We still have a long drive to Nagano."

Kimeru grinned. "Yeah...that's true.." he said as he stood up and walked beside Takigawa on his right side, taking hold of his hand again as they went out. "So...to make up for not paying the bill...any song requests?" he asked.

Takigawa escorted Kimeru to the car and opened his door for him. "Surprise me," he replied before getting into the car himself before they continued their trip to view the Hida Mountains.

Kimeru thought about a song as he got into the car. He then smirked as he began a song he remembered from their Myu days.

_"Ima me no mae ni mieru no wa..."_he began.

And for the rest of the trip he sang random songs that would pop into his head, once even singing "Banana no Namida".

At certain intervals, Takigawa had joined in with the singing, especially when the songs came from their TeniMyu days. After a good 2-hour drive, they had finally arrived as Takigawa eased the car to one of the tourist spots overlooking the Hida Mountains as he got out of the car.

Kimeru stepped out of the car and looked at the view. "Wow..." he said. "If this is what I can see here, then I can't wait to reach the viewing deck..." he said with a smile.

Takigawa chuckled as they approached the building nearby. "If you can't wait, then let's hurry up. Don't forget your camera," he reminded before taking Kimeru's hand and headed inside.

Kimeru nodded. "Hai~" he answered with a smile.

It took a few moments before they reached the viewing deck. The view of the Hida Mountains from there was even more breathtaking. Takigawa took a long intake or the mountain air before turning to Kimeru. "Shall we have a picture taken?" he suggested, gesturing to the Hida mountains to be in the background.

Kimeru smiled. "That'd be nice...now let's see..." he said as he looked around.

"I can take a picture of you both, sir," one of the staff around the area said. Kimeru nodded gratefully as he handed his camera and went to Takigawa's side. "1...2...3..!" counted the staff member, taking the picture with one click of the camera.

What confused Kimeru, however, was that instead of only one shutter, he heard several more. He chuckled. _'The price of being famous…'_ he thought.

When the cameras had been lowered and the tourists thanked them for allowing them to take the picture, Takigawa turned his attention to Kimeru, stealing a short kiss from the man. "You really meant it when all of Japan had found out," he said with a chuckle.

Kimeru chuckled. "The concert was shown live, Eiji...so don't be surprised," he said as the camera was handed back to him. He then turned around and wrapped an arm around Takigawa's waist as he looked at the view.

"I'm not surprised," Takigawa reasoned. "I'm just trying to reason out why all these cameras came out suddenly," he added before lounging an arm over Kimeru's shoulders, pulling him close, and taking in the view. After a while, Takigawa looked at his watch. "We're ahead of schedule, but we should start heading back. I believe that there's still a shrine we have to visit in Chiba?" he offered.

Kimeru's eyes widened as he looked up at him. "You remembered that I wanted to go there?" he asked, his eyes shining with amusement. "And here I thought that your flu back then fogged up your mind," he teased.

"I was very much better from the flu when you had mentioned it, thank you very much. I personally asked you where you wanted to go in the car as we were driving home from my check-up," Takigawa explained as he led Kimeru to head back downstairs.

Kimeru thought for a moment before remembering. "Oh yeah..." he said. "The stress must have messed up my memory," he said with a chuckle. "It'll be great to go back there..." he said.

After they left the building of the viewing deck, Takigawa took a last look at the Hida Mountains before heading to the car, getting in and starting the car. _'It seems we'll be able to make it in time...'_he thought to himself, thinking about the dinner reservation he had made at Kimeru's favorite restaurant back in Tokyo.

When Kimeru got into the passenger seat he looked at Takigawa thoughtfully. "You _do_ remember the first time we've been there, do you?" he asked. "I didn't have any idea that you would be there," he said.

"That was because your phone was being repaired... I had texted you, but I didn't know the state of your phone until we had bumped into each other..." Takigawa said as he began making his way back the way they came, on the road once again for a long drive.

Kimeru frowned. "Well...my phone wouldn't be under repair if someone didn't drop it in the Inui juice…" he muttered.

_**"It what?" Kimeru exclaimed as he stared at Sota.**_

_**"I'm sorry! I really didn't see it there!" the Inui actor explained.**_

_**Kimeru sighed. "Oh well...at least I get a day off from all those calls...though my manager is going to kill me when he finds out."**_

_**"I'm really sorry, Kimeru," Sota apologized as Kimeru waved his hand.**_

_**"It's fine really. I'm sure that it'll get repaired anyway…"**__** he said nonchalantly.**_

_**Abe grinned. "That's the spirit! Now come on, Kime! Before it gets late!" he said as he grabbed Kimeru by the wrist and pulled him to Sota's car outside.**_

_**"Why are we going to the shrine again?" Kimeru asked as he got into the car.**_

_**"To see the fireflies!" said Nagayan as he sat beside Kimeru.**_

-break-

As soon as Aiba was finished setting the table; he placed Tezuka back in his cage and went back into the kitchen to wash his hands. After doing so, he went over to Shirota and hugged him from behind again. "Done?" he asked.

Shirota nodded. "Head back to the table and bring the sushi along. I'll be out in a second with this," he said, gesturing to the now cooked chicken rice.

Aiba nodded as he took the sushi and went to the dining room to wait for Shirota. He then remembered that he forgot to turn off the TV earlier, so he went to the living room.

When he turned the TV off, however, the doorbell rang. He opened the door with a smile. "Yes? ...A-re? ...Aoyama-senpai?" he said as he let the other in.

Sota nodded at him as he entered. "A-no...Aiba...I hope I'm not intruding on anything?" he said.

"Not at all, senpai…what brings you here?" Aiba asked.

"Well...it's about Naoya...I need your help," he said.

Shirota, after transferring the rice into a proper bowl, smiled to himself before going to wash his hands once more before taking his cooking out to the dining table. Promptly after setting it down, he raised his eyebrows. "Aoyama-senpai?" he asked, heading over to join him and Aiba by the door.

Sota smiled at Shirota. "Ah, Shirotan," he greeted with a bow. "Sorry for intruding so suddenly," he apologized again.

"It's alright, senpai!" Aiba said as he closed the door behind Sota. "Now what is this about Gomoto-senpai?" he asked.

"I...wanted to ask...help in... well… with him...actually..." Sota said carefully.

Aiba blinked. "Sorry for sounding rude, but...I thought that you two were together," he said.

Sota turned to Aiba and shook his head. "I-ya. That was Araki and Kujirai," Sota corrected. "Naoya and I... well, we're still figuring things out..." he said, a bit embarrassed.

Shirota, understanding this, gestured to the table. "Why don't we talk this over lunch, Aoyama-senpai. I just tried my hand at making chicken rice," he said.

"That's right, senpai! You should try Shirotan's cooking!" Aiba said as he pulled Sota to the dining table.

Sota grinned at Aiba's childish attitude. "I think I know why you fell in love with him," he said as they passed Shirota.

Shirota smirked but said nothing before moving into the kitchen and grabbed an extra set of a plate, a bowl and chopsticks. He returned and set them down in front of Sota before taking his usual place at the table. "Dozo," he invited.

Aiba sat in his place beside Shirota. "Itadakimasu~~" he said, hearing Sota echo the statement, but more softly.

"This could give Takigawa a run for his money..." Sota said thoughtfully after taking a bite.

Aiba nodded. "So senpai...about Gomoto-senpai?" he asked.

Sota sighed "Well...it's like this...no matter what I do it would always seem that Naoya will always see me as a best friend of sorts."

Shirota nodded his appreciation of their compliments before digging in himself. After a while, he frowned at Sota's words. "What exactly have you been trying to do to get his attention?" he asked.

Sota thought for a minute as he chewed his food.

Aiba tilted his head a bit to the side wondering why Sota was taking so long to even think.

"Well...I've texted him..." Sota began. "and talk to him...and I remember sending him flowers at one point."

"Did you say that they came from you?"

"...er...no..."

Aiba smiled. "Then go and tell him, senpai! After all! No love confession is better than a direct assult! Right Yuu?" he said.

Shirota nodded firmly. "It's better to tell him then leaving hints, senpai. Doing so would make him less likely to make any false presumptions to your show of affection," he explained, taking a random sushi from the dish and popped it into his mouth whole.

-break-

"What would you have done if you had gotten my message, then?" Takigawa inquired.

_**"Takigawa-kun, did you have any plans today?" Yanagi inquired.**_

_**Takigawa had just stuffed his phone in his pocket. "Why?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.**_

_**"Gomoto-kun and Moriyama-kun were inviting me to visit the shrine. They seem to want to get their fortunes..." Yanagi explained.**_

_'Dammit... That was supposed to be a secret... I just invited Kimeru to come... So how did...'__**Takigawa thought, shaking his head. "Alright. I was heading there, anyway..." he replied.**_

"Hmm...Honestly, I wouldn't have gone there. I've been quite jumpy around you back then, if you haven't noticed," Kimeru admitted. "Though I'm sure glad I did...Did you expect that the others were there? Or the fact that they planned it as well?" he asked.

_**Upon arrival at the shrine, Kimeru was surprised that they made it before the sun had completely set. "Is it me or are we the only ones here?" Kimeru asked as he got down from the car.**_

_**"Nonsense!" Nagayama said as he pulled him towards the open space by the shrine. He glanced behind him to see Sota talking to a familiar figure.**_

_**"T-Takigawa?" Kimeru said, but Nagayan had already pulled him out of sight.**_

"I did. I had found out from Sota-kun... When you saw me talking with him..." Takigawa explained with a shrug.

_**Takigawa and the others arrived at the shrine as Yanagi, Gomoto and Moriyama headed off to get their fortunes, oblivious to the plan.**_

_**"Ahh, Takigawa-kun," Sota greeted, walking up to him.**_

_**"Should I be thinking you had a part in suddenly telling everybody about this place?" Takigawa asked dangerously.**_

_**"Perhaps. But it was for a good cause. You know... Kimeru would never have come otherwise," Sota explained.**_

_**Takigawa's cheeks flushed as he brought a hand to his face. "Did you read...?" he asked.**_

_**Sota merely nodded. "Quite the gentleman you are, even in a text message..." he teased with a chuckle.**_

"You knew that I saw you?" Kimeru said, blinking in surprise.

_**Kimeru pulled his hand out of Nagayan's grasp. "Nagayan! Was that Takigawa?" he asked, slightly panicking.**_

_**Nagayan looked at him with a confused expression. "Huh? Takigawa? Why would he be here?" he asked. **_

_**Kimeru sighed and closed his eyes. It was either Nagayan wasn't telling the truth, he saw an illusion or he's already going crazy. **__**"Where's So...ta..." Kimeru said, suddenly realizing that he was alone. **__**"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" he asked himself as he looked around with a worried expression.**_

"It was hard not to..." Takigawa muttered.

_**"Nagayan and I set the stage for you. Now go and tell him..." Sota said, gesturing behind him.**_

_**Takigawa's gaze followed the other man's finger before nodding, heading off in that direction. He slowed down and stopped, seeing Kimeru was now all alone, looking around wearily. After letting of a huge breath to calm himself, Takigawa approached. **__**"Kimeru..." he began, calling the younger man's attention to him.**_

Kimeru laughed. "Jeez...I have to admit though...they had a good plan," he said.

_**Kimeru swore he must have jumped a foot off the ground when he heard Takigawa call him. He felt his blood go cold. **'__Argh! Nagayan! I'm going to kill you! You too, Sota!' __**Kimeru cursed in his head. **__**He turned around and smiled nervously. "Takigawa-kun..." he greeted. "Fancy seeing you here!"**_ _**he said.**_

Takigawa nodded.

_**Takigawa stopped, his gaze averting to the ground. **__'Dammit... I shouldn't've scared him like that...'__**he scolded himself before bringing up his head to look at the Fuji actor. "A...Aa... Listen, I apologize for Sota and Nagayan's behavior towards you today..."**_

Kimeru smiled as they spent the time in comfortable silence.

_**"It's fine..." Kimeru said, smile still in place. "It's nothing out of the ordinary anyway," he added with a nervous chuckle. He looked around and the thought that he was alone with Takigawa in a very,**__**very r**__**omantic setting was screaming at him in his head. **__**He shook his head. "...Stupid shojo manga...I knew I shouldn't have read it when Tuti gave it to me…" he muttered to himself.**_

_**The two stood in complete silence before Takigawa cleared his throat. "I... I have something to tell you... Something important..." he began, feeling his hands shaking beside him before he hid them in his pockets.**_

_**Kimeru felt his nervousness rise up a notch. "What is it?" he asked as he looked at the ground while wondering why he can't look at Takigawa.**_

_**Takigawa paused and took a step closer. He found himself bringing up his hand, tipping Kimeru's chin to look up so that they were looking at each other. "I've... I've been too much of a coward to admit this... But...I've decided... I don't care if you'll make fun of me, or even get angry... But..." Takigawa leaned forward and whispered, "I love you."**_

_**Kimeru felt his cheeks heat up when Takigawa made him look at him. When the other confessed, however, he knew that he highly resembled a tomato. **__**"T...Takigawa...I...I…" he said, completely speechless. "...You have no idea how much I wanted to hear that..." he said after a few more moments of trying to make his brain work to make a coherent thought.**_

_**Takigawa smiled, retracting his head enough to see Kimeru's face fully before leaning forward, pressing his lips to Kimeru's in a passionate kiss. **__'I'm glad...'__**he thought to himself in relief.**_

_**Kimeru mentally cheered. He placed his arms around Takigawa's neck to pull him closer as he kissed back.**_

_**That was the time the party poppers went off, causing Kimeru to pull away in shock with a yelp.**_

_**Takigawa straightened up as confetti rained over them as he heaved a huge sigh, massaging the bridge of his nose.**_

_**"FINALLY!" Nagayan declared as he threw his arms around the two.**_

_**Sota nodded. "It was about time that you two stopped dancing around one another." he added.**_

_**"Ueshima-sensei was right about the plan after all!" Moriyama said.**_

_**Kimeru's eyes widened. "UESHIMA-SENSEI?"**_

_**Takigawa craned his neck to look over to Moriyama. "WHAT?" he asked in disbelief.**_

_**The aforementioned man stepped out from behind the others. "I hope this will let you two concentrate on the next Myu...really...you should've seen yourselves...on second thought...come see for yourselves," he said as he brought out a portable DVD player.**_

_**The screen blinked to life in a few seconds, showing a practice of Makezugirai where Kimeru was looking at Takigawa and when he looked away, Takigawa was the one who turned to look at him.**_

_**Ueshima shut the device. "Now try seeing that every single day of practice."**_

_**Takigawa flushed, smiling nervously over to Kimeru as Abe patted them both on the back.**_

_**"I'm happy for you two!" he announced.**_

_**"A...Abe-kun..!" Takigawa began to protest, but was only met with Abe's grin.**_

_**"It'll happen, Takigawa-kun. This is just the beginning for you two, after all. It's bound to lead to**__**that**__**.**__**"**_

_**Takigawa closed his mouth; shrugged and crossed his arms.**_

_**Kimeru's blush, that had subsided, came back in full force. "Wait! So...everyone knows?" he asked.**_

_**Sota shook his head. "We only found out about you a few days ago...as for him..." he said as he pointed a thumb towards Takigawa. "It's hard not to notice since he's been releasing pheromones around every time you come in with just your pants on." Kimeru blushed harder at this statement.**__**  
**_

_**Takigawa, embarrassed, scratched his cheek and began finding something to distract him.**_

_**"He's just an open book that way!" Nagayan explained.**_

_**Takigawa glared the Kikumaru actor's way, his cheeks blushing but said nothing in retort.**__**  
**_

_**"Pheromones?" Yanagi asked.**_

_**Moriyama chuckled. "We'll explain when you're a bit older..."**_

_**Yanagi frowned. "Hey...the age gap isn't **__**that**__** big..." he said.**_

-break-

"I guess you're right..." Sota said as he finished his food.

"Hmmm...maybe we could help senpai by creating a scenario?" Aiba asked.

"Huh?" Sota said as he looked at the younger Fuji actor.

"Let's pretend that Shirotan here is Gomoto-senpai!" Aiba said as he faced Shirota. "Now go and confess to him, Sota-senpai!" he said.

Shirota lowered his chopsticks, glaring over to Aiba in mock anger. "Why do I have to be Gomoto-senpai? Besides, I'm still eating..." he said defensively.

"You're right...you're a Tezuka...hmm..." Aiba thought for a moment before standing up. "I'll be right back!" he said as he rushed to bedroom, coming back later with Tezuka on his shoulder with a miniature bandanna.

"There!" he said as he handed Tezuka to Sota.

Both Shirota and Sota blinked at the sight of the guinea pig, who Aiba had added a bandana to so that he resembled the first Kaidoh actor.

"T...This is quite uncomfortable... Talking to a guinea pig..." Sota said, frowning.

"I'm sure Tezuka won't take whatever you are going to say against you," Aiba said with a smile. "Now go on senpai, it won't hurt to know what you're going to say at the very least..."

"Wait a minute... You named him Tezuka?" Sota tried to confirm, his eyes widening, staring from one boy to the other.

Shirota, savoring another serving of his chicken rice, pointed to Aiba as if to say, "It was him who named the guinea pig, not me," to the first Inui actor.

"What's the matter, senpai? Don't you think it suits him?" Aiba asked with a hopeful expression.

Taking the moment to his advantage, Tezuka crawled over to Aiba's other shoulder and seemingly curled up to a ball of fluff there.

Sota watched the guinea pig move from his hands to Aiba's shoulder before chuckling, momentarily looking over to the second Tezuka actor before stating, "Yes, I believe it does, considering he enjoys staying with you more than with anybody else."

Shirota sighed to himself.

Aiba, obviously not getting the point of what Sota said plucked Tezuka off his shoulder. "Come on, Tezuka...we have to help sen-" Aiba didn't finish his sentence as Tezuka jumped off his hand and entered his shirt via the area by the neck. Aiba suddenly burst out laughing. "That tickles!" he said.

Shirota, having just finished his food, leaned over to Aiba and expertly extracted the guinea pig from underneath his shirt. "Someone seems to be hungry. Excuse me while I go feed Tezuka..." he said, standing and heading off to bring Tezuka to his cage before spreading a few of his food onto a bowl that he dug right into.

Aiba smiled like it was one of the normal happenings in the world while Sota's eyes widened when Shirota reached inside Aiba's shirt.

_'When Naoya and I are together...I wonder if...'_ The mental image that came to his mind made Sota blush. He was then brought out of his thoughts when Aiba took his now empty plate. "I'll help you with that," he offered. Aiba shook his head.

"No need senpai, please relax at the living room," he said.

Sota smiled in thanks as he headed to the living room. "Say Shirota..." he started, lowering his voice so that Aiba wouldn't hear, as the younger boy was still going back and forth from the kitchen and the dining room to clear the dishes.

-break-

Kimeru smiled. "I still can't believe that Ueshima-sensei actually initiated their plan."

"Just for that certain day... Sota had seen my text message on your phone and told Ueshima-sensei about it... Thus devising their plan that brought us together at the shrine..." Takigawa explained.

"It was still a good idea...if they didn't do that...I don't think we'll be together right now," Kimeru said with a smile. "Oh...and by the way...do you remember when..."

_**It had been a few months since the two had been going out, and Kimeru was already coming regularly to Takigawa's place where those visits often ended up in sleepovers. **__**And it just so happened that today was one of those days. Kimeru had came over in the morning and started chattering excitedly as soon as he was let in.**_

_**"Eiji! I have the raw video of my latest MTV! Let's watch it! Even I haven't seen it yet!" Kimeru said as he tugged at Takigawa's arm.**_

_**Takigawa had barely closed the door when Kimeru had tugged his arm. "Which song was this video of?" Takigawa asked, moving to close the door properly.**_

_**"Pleasure of Love," Kimeru stated simply as he went straight to the DVD and put the CD in.**__**"There! It's play-" his enthusiasm was cut short as he stared at the screen.**_

_**Takigawa was just about to sit himself down when he saw the red sheets that appeared, greeting them as the video began. Takigawa sank to the couch, beginning to watch the video. His left eye began twitching; the mere sight of the clothing of choice Kimeru had in the video was, in a word, highly stimulating, or quite distracting.**_

_**Kimeru, not remembering doing almost more than half of what he was doing in the video, stood rooted on the spot.**_

_'This is going to be the last time I let my manager give me alcohol!'_ _**he thought as a blush began to form on his cheeks. He noticed that as the video played his movements became more and more suggestive.**_

-break-

Shirota was watching Tezuka for a minute, leaning back on the couch with his arms crossed before turning to the older man. "What is it, senpai?" he inquired.

"I was wondering...how quick your progress was with Aiba...I mean...how long did it take for him to finally move in with you?" Sota asked carefully as he sat down beside Shirota, looking at Tezuka.

"It was pretty quick in our case..." Shirota admitted. "After he confessed, we started being more open with each other, and we would often visit each other's homes and sleepover and such... I think it was after two months that I suggested that he move in with me here, and we've managed to... uh... grow closer, if you will," he explained.

"I'm guessing that it took a lot of patience on your part, ne?" Sota said with a smile. He then looked over at the door leading to the kitchen and sighed. "Aiba's right...I should tell Naoya...I also want this…just like the two of you," he said.

Shirota gave Sota a warm smile. "It did, but more often than not, being myself was enough to satisfy him," he replied, glancing over to the kitchen before returning his attention to his senpai. Shirota placed a hand on his shoulder. "That's the spirit! Now, go on and tell him how you feel!" he said encouragingly.

Sota stood up with a smile. "I think I will!" he said. "Thank you, Shirota! And tell Aiba thanks as well!" he said as he ran out of the house.

"A-re? What happened?" Aiba said as he joined Shirota in the living room.

"Aoyama-senpai extends his gratitude," he replied simply. "He's gone off to confess to Gomoto-senpai," he added.

Aiba smiled. "Good for him! I hope he gets a favorable response," he said as he sat on Shirota's lap.

Shirota nodded. "I hope so as well," he replied, wrapping his arms around Aiba's waist.

-break-

"I believe I acquired a nosebleed halfway into the video..." Takigawa thought out loud.

Kimeru chuckled. "I wouldn't have noticed since I only looked at you after the video, right?" he said.

_**The video ended and the screen turned blue. Kimeru turned around carefully. "Er..."he said as he smiled nervously. "So...what do you think?" he asked.**_

_**Takigawa raised his head from the top of the couch, pinching his nose as the trace of blood emitted from his nostrils. "Very..." Unable to finish his thoughts, Takigawa fainted, images of the last 30 seconds of the video circling about his head.**__**  
**_  
"I never really got to watch the whole thing properly because I always seemed to get a nosebleed somewhere in the middle..." Takigawa whined.

"You sure had me panicked though..." Kimeru said as he remembered that incident.

_**"Eiji!" He said as he poked the other boy. "Eiji!...great...now I have to drag him upstairs…" he said as he tried to lift Takigawa. **__**Kimeru somehow managed to get him in the room and on the bed. He let out a breath of relief as he layed down beside the other.**_

"Besides finding myself in my bed, I was wondering how you managed the task..." Takigawa asked with a raised eyebrow to Kimeru.

Kimeru smirked. "Let's just chalk it up to everyone thinking that I'm as weak as I look," he answered.

_**Kimeru decided to pass the time by looking around the room while waiting for the other to wake up. "...let's see...billiards book...photoshop...scripts...huh? He has my CD?" he said as he pulled out an album of his. "Hey...this is my first..." he muttered as he looked it over.**_

_**Takigawa stirred, sitting up before wiping his nose before confirming that his nose had stopped bleeding. He looked around, puzzled for a moment as to how he got up to his bed before he found Kimeru browsing through his desk. "I see you've found your album..." he said with a smirk.  
**_

_**Kimeru nodded. "Yeah...these are limited edition copies...must have been hard for you to get them, you should have told me instead...unless...you got them when they were first released?" Kimeru asked out of curiosity.**_

_**Takigawa blushed, scratching his cheek and nodded in silence.**_

_**"You…got it when it was first released?" Kimeru asked in surprise before smiling. **__**He then made his way back on the bed and sat by the edge.**_

"_**Why are you surprised?" Takigawa teased, inching himself closer to him.**_

_**"Well..." Kimeru said, not realizing the distance. "The first release was a total flop, as I have heard...never thought that I'd actually find someone who..." he trailed off as he looked at Takigawa.**_

_**"Total sales are unimportant," Takigawa stated in a Tezuka manner. "You haven't been paying much attention to my CD collection very much, have you?" he inquired, gesturing to the shelf of CDs lined up on his desk near the place Kimeru had found his first album.**_

_**"Not really..." Kimeru said as he looked at the CDs lined up. "Wait, give me a sec..." he said as he put on his glasses and went over to the desk. **__**His eyes widened when he saw what they were. "These...these are all mine...ever since I started..." he said in surprise as he turned around. "Eiji?" he asked, a smile forming on his lips.**_

_**Takigawa's lips curled into a knowing smile, nodding silently to the J-Pop singer, not needing to explain anything.**__'It's obvious now, isn't it?' __**he told himself.**_

_**Kimeru removed his glasses and placed them on the desk before moving onto the bed to kiss Takigawa. "You stupid...silly...Eiji..." he said in between kisses.**__**  
**_  
Kimeru smiled when they reached that point in remembering the story. "Yes, that scene made number 3 of my top 10 favorite moments in life."

"Having one of your fans confess that they loved you - in a deeper context - was something you didn't really expect, did you?" Takigawa asked.

Kimeru chuckled. "Not at all...but it was very welcome..." he answered. "…because I also fell in love with my fan too," he finished with a grin.

"True..." Takigawa admitted with a chuckle.

Kimeru smiled as they again had comfortable silence between them.

-break-

Aiba grinned. "So...I heard what you told him...I thought we ended up doing _that_ before I even moved in with you…" he teased as he kissed Shirota.

"Aoyama-senpai doesn't need to know _all_ the details," Shirota teased promptly after pulling away from the kiss. "Besides, didn't I say that it was going to be our little secret?"

Aiba smiled as he leaned forward to kiss Shirota again but stopped mid way when he heard a small "sqee" from the cage. He chuckled as he stood from Shirota's lap and went over to take Tezuka out. "Come here, lil' guy…" he said as Tezuka went up his arm and on his shoulder. Aiba sat back beside Shirota with Tezuka, and all the while Tezuka looked like he was glaring at Shirota or something.

"Hiroki, as much as I was the one who went and purchased Tezuka... He's taken an immediate liking to you... And if I didn't know better, those beady eyes were staring me down..." Shirota observed, watching the guinea pig for a few moments.

Aiba took Tezuka from his shoulder and looked at him for a while. "Tezuka? But he's been nothing but an adorable fluff ball..." he said as he placed him on his lap, where Tezuka immediately used the opportunity to get into Aiba's shirt. "Kawaii~" Aiba said with a smile.

Shirota shrugged. _'Whatever it is... I'm going to keep a closer eye on this guy...'_ he told himself, watching the guinea pig move around under Aiba's shirt once more.

Before Aiba could say something he heard his phone go off from upstairs. He took Tezuka out of his shirt and placed him on Shirota's lap. "Watch him for a while, will you?" he said as he ran upstairs to answer the call.

Tezuka looked up at Shirota.

~~In Tezuka's mind, one bold thought came to him as he stared at the Tezuka actor. _'What the hell does he have that I don't...besides being human I mean? ...I'm 10 times cuter than you are, big guy...'~~_

"Hiro-" Shirota trailed off when Aiba had ran up the stairs, leaving him with Tezuka on his lap. They stared each other down for a long moment that seemed to last forever before Shirota simply shrugged once more.

Tezuka scurried up a bit and stopped on Shirota's shoulder, then moved down once again back to Shirota's lap to stare at him. A few moments passed and Tezuka managed to get on one of the side tables where two individual pictures were; one was of Aiba while the other was of Shirota. Tezuka stopped there and looked at Shirota who was sitting on the couch.

"Feisty, aren't you?" Shirota asked with a grin, watching the guinea pig move about before reaching his hand out towards Tezuka. "Come on, let me give you a little massage," he offered.

Tezuka, being the smart creature he was, fought against the urge to bite Shirota's hand and hopped onto it instead. He looked up at the man expectantly.

Shirota retracted his arms and began stroking Tezuka behind the ears. _'And here I thought you were going to bite me...'_ he thought to himself.

Tezuka settled contently, deciding that his vendetta could wait.

It was at that moment that Aiba came back; grabbing his digital camera he snapped a picture of it. "This is going to my blog," he said with a smile as he joined the two on the couch.

"Oi, a warning would've been nice!" Shirota argued before holding Tezuka out to Aiba. "Here..."

Aiba chuckled as Tezuka scampered to get in his shirt again. "I didn't want to ruin the moment," he said as he placed the camera on the side table. "Hey, Yuu...I was just wondering...if...I ran away like what Kimeru-senpai did a few days back...would you have ran after me or would you rather simmer in anger?" he asked.

Shirota leaned back, lounging an arm subconsciously over Aiba's shoulders. "Well, that would just depend on the situation, I suppose. Takigawa-senpai told me that he had wanted to run after Kimeru-senpai when he ran, but another part of him held him back..." Shirota explained.

"I wonder why he was held back..." Aiba mused. "Well...in any case, they're back together and I think about everybody knows," he said as he leaned back, Tezuka's head poking out of the collar of his shirt looking at Shirota like he did while Aiba wasn't around.

Shirota nodded in agreement, deliberately avoiding the guinea pig's glare before he leaned in and kissed Aiba on the cheek. "I hope that we don't end up getting into that intense a quarrel, Hiroki..." he said.

Aiba smiled as he leaned against Shirota, placing his head on the other's shoulder and taking hold of his hand to intertwine their fingers. "If we do...I'm sure we'll find our way back to one another," he said.

"Aa... Though, I wonder if we'd ever be able to top Takigawa-senpai and Kimeru-senpai's reunion... I mean, that was just the perfect ending to their big fight!" Shirota stated enthusiastically.

"Baka Shirotan..." Aiba said softly. "I wouldn't care if we don't top it as long as we eventually get back together..." he shuddered at the thought. "Then again...being away from you would be complete utter suicide."

"You say that now, but when you get angry, you won't be able to process things properly and might end up hating my guts if we got into a fight..." Shirota stated raising his free hand to find it trembling.

Aiba frowned, he pulled out Tezuka from his shirt and placed him on the side as he placed both hands around Shirota and embraced him. "Listen Yuu...even if seem like I hate your guts or it looks like I'm going to bite your head off every time I get mad...truth is...I'm afraid to lose you...no matter what the reason..." he admitted.

Shirota shrugged. "I'm scared, too... Even though we hardly argue, I'm afraid that one day one of us might just snap at some random thing... And one thing will lead to another and then..." Shirota stopped, not wanting to continue.

Aiba sighed as he leaned over and kissed the older boy. "Then we would just have to keep each other in check ne?" he said with a smile. "Yuu, I'm sure that no matter what happens to us, big fight or not, we would still find one another. After all we've been through; I highly doubt that something will be able to tear us apart. You know as much as I do that either of us would do anything for one another." Aiba paused then. "Besides...why would I leave, for one, if I love you so much?"

Shirota smiled. "Aa. I guess you're right..." he said. "I love you too much to ever leave you..." he added before capturing the boy's lips with his own.

Aiba smiled into the kiss as he wound his arms firmly around Shirota's waist, pulling the taller boy closer.

All the while Tezuka watched them.

Shirota broke off after what had seemed like 5 minutes before standing. "Saa, would you care to join me in the studio?" he teased. Not waiting for an answer, he grabbed hold of the younger boy's wrist and pulled him up as the two headed upstairs, locking the door behind them and spending the rest of the afternoon doing karaoke.

Aiba grinned as Shirota pulled him to his feet as they went upstairs, grabbing Tezuka as before they went up.

-break-

After hours of driving, Takigawa and Kimeru had finally arrived in Chiba. It didn't take Takigawa long to find a parking space along the road before stepping out of the car, stretching his limbs before he saw the shrine before them. "We've finally arrived," he announced, spotting the sunset and smiled inwardly to himself.

Kimeru blinked. "Just like the time when we first came..." he said with a smile.

"Would you believe me if I said I had estimated our travel time just for us to arrive here at this particular time to coincide with when we came for me to finally confess?" Takigawa asked, turning to Kimeru as he took his hand as they headed up the stairs slowly.

Kimeru thought about this for a moment before speaking. "Well...that would mean that you have the analytical capabilities of Inui now, wouldn't it?" he said with a grin.

"Yes, but I would much rather be a Tezuka than an Inui. It would be too much of a hassle for me, otherwise..." Takigawa reasoned.

As they reached the top of the stairs Kimeru took a good look around. "Not much has changed...except for a few missing trees," he observed with a chuckle.

Takigawa looked around. "Do we just have that luck to be alone here _again_?" he argued.

Kimeru chuckled. "Saa...you're right," he said as he looked around. "Fate seems to be intent on making us remember that day," he added.

"We already did that. Back in the car," Takigawa stated. "But having nobody here gives us a little problem..." he added with a groan.

Kimeru chuckled. "If you're worried about the camera then I know just the thing," he said as he pulled Takigawa to one of the scenic areas. "There we go," he said as he placed the camera on a rather huge rock with a flat surface, it was high enough for a decent picture. "I remembered about this rock while I was looking around before."

Takigawa nodded. "Glad you remembered. Set the timer and we can get that photo you wanted while we're here," he instructed.

"Sure!" Kimeru said happily as he set the timer and pulled Takigawa to a certain spot. The camera flashed and Kimeru checked it, "My...what a cute couple we make," he chided as he showed Takigawa the picture.

Takigawa smirked. "That's a pretty good take," he pointed out before checking his watch. "I have one last place to take you to before we head home," he said, looking back to Kimeru with a warm smile.

"Another surprise?" Kimeru asked curiously.

Takigawa nodded. "I found out that you had plans of publicizing our relationship that night when we had a big argument by reserving dinner at my favorite restaurant," he started. "So, to make up for your efforts, I reserved dinner for us tonight at _your_ favorite restaurant back in Tokyo," he said, pulling out the official reservation slip from his pocket and handed it to Kimeru.

Kimeru looked at the reservation slip, his eyes widening. "I haven't been there for months!" he exclaimed happily. "Eiji, thank you so much!" he said as he threw his arms around Takigawa.

Takigawa completed the embrace. "There was no way I would plan a celebration like this without taking you out to eat at your favorite restaurant, you know," he teased before leaning over and taking Kimeru's lips with his own.

Kimeru kissed back and when they parted, the smile was still on his lips. He then pulled away after a few more moments, tugging Takigawa's hand. "Come on. That fluff moment made me hungry," he said with a laugh.

"Hai, hai..." Takigawa called, allowing himself to be pulled back towards the car.

Kimeru grinned as he boarded the passenger side of the vehicle as soon as they got down.

Takigawa got into the driver's seat and prepared to leave. Slotting the key into the ignition, he paused and turned to Kimeru. "I'm... I'm glad I got to spend this day with you, Kime-kun... I wouldn't have spent it any other way with anybody else," he said, saying everything he wanted to say before starting the engine and beginning their drive back to Tokyo.

Kimeru smiled softly. "Aa...I don't think I could be this happy with anyone else either." he answered.

-break-

Shirota emerged from the studio to go the bathroom. It had been a very reminiscent afternoon as he and Aiba were endlessly singing songs both from their TeniMyu days, as well as songs off their Best Actor series.

-break-

Aiba smiled at Tezuka as Shirota went out; he was lying on the carpeted floor, Tezuka on his stomach contentedly snuggled up in the hand Aiba had placed over him. He and Shirota had been singing the whole afternoon and he thought that it was an afternoon well spent. He then remembered something as he took Tezuka and lifted him, looking at the guinea pig in the face. "You...don't like Yuu?" he thought out loud. Tezuka just stared at him, silently agreeing to the statement. Aiba chuckled. "Of course you do...What am I thinking?" he said to himself.

-break-

Shirota came out of the bathroom, wiping his face with a face towel as he knowingly had his feet guide him back to the studio.

Aiba sat up as he saw Shirota come back inside. "Hey...remember what you told me about Tezuka unsettling you because he seems to be attached to me?"

Shirota lowered his towel and nodded. "What about it?" he asked, glaring at Tezuka for a moment; folding the towel up.

Aiba smiled. "Sit beside me, Yuu," he said as he patted the space beside him. "I have a little experiment to see if your observation is true."

Shirota set the towel on the desk before hesitantly moving towards him before settling himself down beside Aiba on the floor in an Indian style of sitting as he held his ankles. "So, what's this 'little experiment'?" he asked.

Aiba smirked as he leaned forward and placed Tezuka on the floor in front of them. "This..." he said as he kissed Shirota.

Tezuka reacted to this action and scurried forward, only one thought running through his little mind. _'Keep your lips off him! He's mine!' _The guinea pig moved towards Shirota's hands, which were still clutching his ankles before taking a nibble into the boy's skin right about the knuckle.

"Oww!" Shirota exclaimed, pulling back from Aiba and brought his hand up and alternately waved it around and blew on the new wound.

"Tezuka!" Aiba scolded as he took Tezuka and glared at him. "You do not... I repeat... DO NOT...bite Shirota unless absolutely necessary!" he said as he placed Tezuka in an empty fishbowl that was there for decorative purposes. "Yuu..." he said softly as he took Shirota's hand and looked at the bite mark. "At least it's just a scratch…" he observed. "I think Tezuka needs to stay in the cage for a while..." he said with a sigh.

Shirota nodded in agreement before turning to Aiba. "Wait, wait, wait. What do you mean 'unless absolutely necessary'?" he asked, nervous all of a sudden.

Aiba decided not to answer the question and distracted the other by kissing him again. "Where were we?" he asked with a smile.

"Hiroki!" Shirota said, flustered but decided to let it go before standing. "I'll just wash this..." he said, pointing to the bite before heading off to the bathroom a second time.

Aiba started laughing as soon as Shirota went out. He then stood and took Tezuka from the fishbowl. "Do that again and you'll end up in a place worse than a fishbowl..." he warned...then he thought of something. He flipped open his phone and texted a friend. _'Hey Takuya...didn't you say that you had a guinea pig you wanted to give away? I think I just found a good home for it...I'll take him...do you think you can bring him over? ...ah...and name him Fuji, for me.'_ He sent the message and closed his phone. He then looked at Tezuka and smiled. "Wait for a few more weeks...then you'll have someone to play with…without the danger of having you breed," he said.

Tezuka, somehow managed to comprehend Aiba's words, walked up his arm and stopped at his shoulders, nuzzling his neck in apology.

Aiba chuckled. "No problem…though I think you need to apologize to Yuu once he gets back," he said.

Shirota came back into the studio before raising an eyebrow. "Someone's getting affectionate," he pointed out as soon as he spotted Tezuka.

Aiba smiled. "Well..." he said as he stood and reached out a hand to let Tezuka move to Shirota, and as soon as he reached Shirota's shoulder he nuzzled him as well. "He's saying sorry for biting you," Aiba said with a chuckle, before hearing the doorbell. He went downstairs with a knowing smile. After a few minutes he went back up, holding another guinea pig around Tezuka's size. "Yuu...Tezuka...meet Fuji," he said with a smile.

Shirota smiled, craning his neck slightly, feeling a bit ticklish before taking Tezuka into his hands. "Alright, alright. Apology accepted," he told the guinea pig before Aiba had returned with another one. Shirota had to prevent himself from gaping his mouth; instead, he grinned. "Someone's thought up a perfect idea!" he chimed, moving towards Aiba and kissed him.

Aiba grinned as he kissed back and pulled away. "Now let's see them interact...I hope they get along," he said as he placed Fuji on the floor along with Tezuka, after plucking the other furry guinea pig from Shirota's hands. He sat down on the floor as well, ready to pull the two apart if they didn't get along.

Shirota sat down beside Aiba, watching the two guinea pigs.

Fuji stared at Tezuka for a while before crawling towards him. Tezuka watched Fuji for a few moments before he saw him approach. Not wanting to back down because he was more intrigued than he was apprehensive, he slowly moved forward towards Fuji as well. Fuji moved until he was side by side with Tezuka and stopped, lying down beside the other, basking in the warmth Tezuka was radiating.

"Aww...so cute...don't you agree?" Aiba asked as he patted the two.

Tezuka leaned towards Fuji, nuzzling what Shirota would have checked off as a guinea pig's neck, were they to have such a part.

Shirota nodded with a soft smile over to the two. "Sorta reminds you about us, doesn't it?" Shirota asked, turning his attention to Aiba.

"Hai," Aiba said as he inched closer to Shirota. "At least now you don't have to worry about Tezuka biting you unless you do something to Fuji," he said as he glanced at the clock. "I still have a few more minutes till I have to start on dinner," he muttered to himself as he placed his head on Shirota's shoulder.

Shirota chuckled. "Not that I would attempt to," he said defensively before leaning his head on Aiba's, closing his eyes, his hand resting over Aiba's on the floor. "Ne, Hiroki..." he began. "Was there anything you wanted in particular for your birthday? It's coming up soon, after all..."

Aiba thought for a moment. "Hmm...Nothing in particular...I'm already quite contented with everything I have," he answered with a smile as he took Shirota's hand in his own. He then took a glance at Fuji who was now nuzzling Tezuka.

~~Fuji looked at their masters for a while before turning his attention back to Tezuka. _'Cute, aren't they?'_ he asked Tezuka as he moved a bit closer. _'Humans can be quite interesting…'~~_

"That gives me more reasons to surprise you, then," Shirota replied.

~~Tezuka watched the two in front of them. _'Aa. Though I feel as if they're thinking the exact same thing about us,'_ he replied before turning to Fuji.~~

Aiba smiled. "I like surprises..." he said.

~~Fuji regarded the thought for a moment before moving slightly. _'At least we're sure that they won't be giving us away anytime soon...'_ he said in satisfaction.~~

Shirota checked the time. "Saa, it's about time we get dinner started. I'll bring Tezuka and Fuji down to their cage to get settled in," he offered, kissing Aiba on the cheek before reaching out for the two and standing.

Aiba smiled as he nodded. "I'll get started on dinner then," he said as he went downstairs.

Shirota followed suit and followed him downstairs, moving to the living room and setting Tezuka and Fuji down into the cage as they huddled close together at a corner. Smiling, he moved over to grab his guitar from its stand and sat down on the couch, continuing the work he had put off in composing his new song.

Aiba smiled as he listened to Shirota attempt to compose a song.

Shirota, after giving up with finishing his song, he began strumming a few chords. Shirota began playing a song similar to **_'_**_**Tachitsukusu Kanata'**_ off his Tezuka Best Actor series album. What he sang, though, was completely different in lyrics.

_"Natsu no owari totsuzen no tsumetai kaze ni__  
__Sukoshi mae ni wakareta kimi ga koishikute__  
__Machi wa iro ya sugata wo kaetemo__  
__Boku wa ano hi no mama_

_Onaji sora wo ima kimi wa miteru darouka__  
__Ichibyou sae kimi nashi de wa irarezu ni_

_Heya no shashin sae mo suterarezu ni__  
__Modorenai hi wo omoidasu_

_Ato nando nakeba ii__  
__Ato nando koukai sureba ii__  
__Ato nando kurushimeba__  
__Kimi wo torimodoseru no__  
__Wakaranai_

_Nan do mo shita yubi kiri osoroi no sezu__  
__Futari no negai wa hakanaku kieru__  
__Demo wasurerarenai subete sutekirenai__  
__Kimi ga iitekureta ai no kotoba__  
__Aishiteru__  
__Hayaku aitai__  
__Mou modorenu kako no koi_

_Ima dokoka de kimi ga waratteiru no nara__  
__Sore ijou ni ureshii koto wa nai kedo__  
__Sono egao wo mirenai koto dake ga__  
__Tsurasugite nani mo te ni tsukanai_

_Ato nando naitatte__  
__Ato nando koukaishitatte__  
__Ato nando kurushiutemo__  
__Kimi wa mou modoranai__  
__Wakatteru_

_Nukumori kanjita mama nemutta yoru wa__  
__Mabataki hodo no mijikasa de suita__  
__Nanoni donnani tsukarete me wo tojite mo__  
__Kimi ga inai yoru wa nagasugite__  
__Ukan de wa mawari tsuzukeru__  
__Omoide ni kawatta koi"_

Aiba listened to Shirota singing as he continued to make dinner. Tezuka and Fuji did the same while contently lying beside one another.  
_  
__"Heya ni hibiku tokei no oto ga__  
__Yake ni setsunakute_

_Nukumori kanjita mama nemutta yoru wa__  
__Mabataki hodo no mijikasa de suita__  
__Nanoni donnani tsukarete me wo tojite mo__  
__Kimi ga inai yoru wa nagasugite_

_Nando mo shita yubikiri osoroi no sezu__  
__Futari no negai wa hakanaku kieru__  
__Demo wasurerarenai subete sute kirenai__  
__Kimi ga iite kuretaai no kotoba__  
__Aishiteru__  
__Hayaku aitai__  
__Mou modorenu kako no koi_

_Ukande wa mawari tsuzukeru__  
__Omoide ni kawatta koi"_

Shirota strummed the last chords before ending. "I haven't done that song in a while..." he told himself, a look of satisfaction on his face as he stood and returned the guitar to its proper place.

-break-

Takigawa had found a reserved parking space and parked the car there before shutting off the engine. "We're here," he announced, grinning over to Kimeru before getting out of the car.

Kimeru stepped out of the car and smiled widely; he hadn't been to this place for a long time.

Takigawa took Kimeru's hand and gave him a nod before leading him to the front door. A waitress came to entertain them.

"Table for 2?" she inquired.

Takigawa presented the reservation slip. "I booked a reservation for tonight," he explained.

The waitress took the slip and beamed. "Ah!" She took a moment to look at the two before nodding - and Takigawa swore that she heard her squeal as well. "I understand, Takigawa-san. Please, you and Kimeru-san please follow me." She turned on her heel and eagerly led the way to their table. Takigawa had been on the phone for almost an hour to get them the parking space and a specific table he and Kimeru always seemed to be at when they would come over to eat. As they passed through the restaurant a few of the customers had turned their attention to them.

"It's Kimeru-sama!" one girl exclaimed.

"And he's with Takigawa-sama!" her friend cheered, both in a state of bliss at seeing their idols there.

Takigawa squeezed Kimeru's hand. "Isn't this interesting?" he asked with a grin.

Kimeru chuckled at the sight as they were led to a much more private area of the restaurant. "Why do I have a feeling that even that part was planned?" he said.

"Which part, exactly?" Takigawa asked as they finally arrived at their designated table. Takigawa slid down onto the couch and gratefully took the menu from the waitress.

"The part where there would be people around…if I remember correctly, this place isn't this much populated during this time of the evening," Kimeru answered.

"You said it yourself that you haven't been here for a long time. Perhaps over time, people started coming," Takigawa pointed out. "Honestly, all I did was make the reservations; nothing more."

"Alright then..." Kimeru said with a smile as he sat beside Takigawa. "Even the menu has changed in a short span of time…" he noted.

Takigawa nodded. "You're right... But of course, it seems your favorite dish from this restaurant has become a recommended choice by the chef..." He pointed out; drawing Kimeru's attention to the small icon beside the dish Kimeru was fond of having whenever they came to eat here.

-break-

Shirota moved into the kitchen, leaning on the door frame. "What are you making?" he asked.

"Hmmm...Guess..." Aiba said with a smile as he moved around the kitchen.

Shirota pouted. "That's impossible!" he argued.

Aiba chuckled as he looked at Shirota. "It's a little something Ruito taught me a while back. Beef Burgundy," he answered as he went back to the stove to check on it. "It'll be done in a while"

Shirota nodded. "Was there anything I could do while we wait for the Beef Burgundy of yours?" he inquired hopefully.

Aiba taste tested what he was cooking before smiling in satisfaction. "Hmm...I don't really know. The table is already set...so I guess you're free to do what you want for..." he glanced at the food then at his watch. "…the next five minutes."

"Five minutes?" Shirota moved towards Aiba, wrapping his arms around the boy's waist, nuzzling his neck. "That gives us a bit of time to ourselves, doesn't it?"

Aiba smiled as he turned around in Shirota's loose hold and faced him. "Yes it does..." he said as he placed his own arms over the taller boy's shoulders.

-break-

Kimeru looked at where Takigawa was pointing at and smiled. "I'm not surprised," he admitted. "And for old time's sake, I'm ordering it."

Takigawa laughed. "I figured as much," he said as he turned to the waitress and relayed their order to her before she took their menus and left them alone. "So, besides noticing how much this place has changed, there's something I wanted to talk to you about that concerns one of our little reminiscing episodes earlier on during our drive to Chiba..." he said.

"What is it?" Kimeru asked, facing Takigawa.

"The day when the first cast were set to meet each other. Ueshima-sensei had just released the list the day before and called us in for a little orientation before practices were scheduled. Do you remember?" Takigawa began.

_**Takigawa had received a call from Ueshima-sensei that he had received the role of Tezuka, and that he was to go and meet the rest of the cast for a little orientation. He had arrived at the designated site before entering the meeting room. He was pretty early and had sat himself down on one of the chairs. Seeing that it would take a while for the others to arrive, he pulled out his iPod and set it on shuffle before plugging his ears with the earphones. Kimeru's 'Make You Free' was playing.**_

_'Kawaita kaze ni me wo sorasazu ni lens wo shiboru__  
__Neratta ashita no katachi wo ima utsushidasu yo__  
__Hitori no yoru ni kakureteita__  
__Sabita kizuato wo kodou no nami ni keshite'_

Kimeru smiled. "Of course I do. That was the day I met you, after all..." he said.

_**Kimeru liked being early, especially when the project he was going to do is as big as his current offer.**__**He had worked with people behind Prince of Tennis for a while, having sang some of the anime's songs. **__**Speaking of which, he was humming 'Make you free' when he entered the room where he was instructed to go to by the director. He opened the door, oblivious to the fact that there was another person inside.**_

"I did find it strange that I was hearing the song I was listening to in my iPod being hummed, but I didn't expect it to be you," Takigawa admitted.

_**Takigawa pulled out an earphone when the door opened, thinking it rude to completely avoid them. As the song continued to play on his iPod, he heard the person humming the same song at the exact same time. It was a moment later did he see the newcomer - it was Kimeru himself. He hastily paused his iPod, took off his other earphone from his ear and stowed the device away.**_

"Really?" Kimeru asked. "To tell the truth, I didn't realize that someone was inside until you spoke."

_**Kimeru smiled as he put down his bag and rummaged through it, continuing to hum the song and reaching the chorus as he pulled out his phone to check if anyone contacted him.**_

"You wouldn't expect me to start conversation so calmly, though..." Takigawa stated. "In fact, I remember it to be rather embarrassing..."

"Yes, but it was quite cute," Kimeru said with a smile.

"Well, of course, that's in your point of view. At the time, I had just embarrassed myself in front of _Kimeru_ of all people," Takigawa whined.

_**Takigawa observed as Kimeru settled down four seats from his own before he pushed his chair underneath the table and made to approach the J-Pop singer. "A-no..." he began, but tripped over the chair in front of him as he faltered a few steps.**_

_**Kimeru turned around with a ready smile and was going to reply when he saw the person in front of him almost trip, he smiled and chuckled a bit. "Are you alright?" he asked as he approached him.**__**  
**_

_**Takigawa managed to stop a few feet from Kimeru before stuttering an apology. "G...Gomen..." He looked down at his feet for a few moments. **__'A nice first impression, Eiji...' __**he told himself.**_

_**Kimeru shook his head. "No need for apologies..." he said brightly. "Hmm... Am I right in assuming that you're part of the cast?" he asked. "Oh, how rude of me; asking you a question without the proper introduction. I'm Kimeru, pleased to meet you," he said as he extended a hand.**_

_**Takigawa raised his head, nodding before forcing a smile and grasped his hand. "I... I know..." he replied at the J-Pop singer's introduction. "Pleased to meet you... I'm Takigawa Eiji... I'll be playing Tezuka Kunimitsu..." he introduced, a light shade of pink appearing on his cheeks before bowing slightly.**_

Kimeru blinked at him. "What's wrong about that? I wasn't a well-known artist back then..." he asked.

_**"Tezuka, huh?" Kimeru said as he pulled back his hand and grinned. "I'm playing Fuji Syusuke," he said with a slight laugh. "I guess we'll be working together for most of the scenes."**__**He then noted the pinkish tinge on Takigawa's cheeks. **__'Kawaii...' _**__****he thought.**

"Regardless, one of your fans meets you in person and they freeze up. I apologize, then," Takigawa teased.

_**Takigawa nodded. "It... it seems so..." He looked around for a few moments, trying to find a distraction but failed miserably. "Kimeru-san, I look forward to working with you!" he declared, bowing once more before returning to his seat. **__'Very smooth, Eiji. Just because you couldn't find a topic to talk about...'__**he scolded himself.**_

"Silly Eiji...you were adorable from the beginning," Kimeru teased as he patted Takigawa on the shoulder.

_**Kimeru smiled. **__'Really cute...polite too...' __**he thought for a while. "Would you mind if I sit beside you?" he asked suddenly.**_

Takigawa smirked and leaned forward, pecking Kimeru on the cheek. "Thank you."

_**Takigawa just managed to stop himself from jumping in surprise as he turned to Kimeru and shook at his inquiry, gesturing to the seat beside him. "Dozo."**__**  
**_

Kimeru simply smiled at him as he took his hand.

_**"Arigatou," Kimeru said as he took his bag and sat beside Takigawa.**_

_**Takigawa fiddled around with his hands for a while, wondering what to talk about, as well as where the others were.**_

_**"A-no..." he said, trying to strike up a decent conversation.**__**  
**_

_**Kimeru noticed the nervousness of his companion as soon as he sat beside him. "Hey, relax. I don't bite," he teased, attempting to lighten the tension.**__**  
**_

_**Takigawa nodded over to Kimeru, willing himself to calm down. "This may sound completely random... But what's your favorite food, Kimeru-san?" he blurted out.**__**  
**_

_**Kimeru thought about it for a while. "Well...to be honest, I really like a lot of food but I guess for me Italian would stand out," he said with a nod.**__**  
**_

_**Takigawa's eyes widened before clearing his throat. "Is that so? I happen to prefer Italian cuisine as well... Though I haven't tried making any Italian dishes myself..." he admitted.**_

_**"Ah~at least you know how to cook," he said with a small smile. "I never had the time to actually learn," he admitted in embarrassment.**_

-break-

Shirota pressed his forehead to Aiba's, closing his eyes. "You know what?" he asked in a whisper.

Aiba smiled, closing his eyes as well, content at the proximity he and Shirota shared at the moment. "What?" he asked softly.

Shirota smirked. "I haven't paid you back for tickling me before," he said before attacking Aiba's stomach with a surprise attack with his fingers.

"Woah~ hey...wait...you..." Aiba managed to say in the middle of his laughter. "Yuu!" he said as he tried to pull away from the relentless fingers.

Shirota laughed. "I'm not letting you go so easily!" he declared.

Aiba continued to laugh as Shirota continued to tickle him. "Argh...budge..." he managed to rasp out as he tried to push Shirota away.

Shirota stopped, bringing his hands behind him. "Alright, alright, I'll stop," he said.

Aiba tried to catch his breath before grinning at Shirota.

"Now we're even," Shirota stated stoically before grinning.

Aiba nodded. "Hai~" he said as he looked at his watch. "Now go and wash your hands…dinner's ready," he said as he went over to the stove to prepare the meal.

Shirota nodded. "Hai, hai..." he chimed, moving to the kitchen sink to do as he was told.

-break-

_**Takigawa frowned. "Your work keeping you on your toes?" he asked before shrugging. "Well, let's hope that sometime, you'll be able to learn how to cook in one way or another. When you're not as busy, I mean..."**_

_**"I hope so too…" Kimeru said with a chuckle. "Hey...maybe YOU can teach me, Takigawa-san," he suggested.**_

_**Takigawa could not believe what he was hearing. "M...Me?" he repeated before waving his hands in front of him. "I couldn't possibly... I'm not that good a cook..." he stated.**_

_**Kimeru shook his head. "Come now, Takigawa-san, at least you can make yourself something," he said as he patted Takigawa on the shoulder.**_

_**Takigawa blushed, nodding weakly.**_ _'I'm not dreaming, right?'_ _**he asked himself.**_

_**Kimeru smiled at him. "So... Tezuka, right? I wonder what are the kinds of scenes we'll end up doing? I heard the anime has a lot of fans, meaning they would expect things..." he mused.**__**  
**_

"I never really got to reply..." Takigawa said reminiscently. "Sota came in and interrupted us..." he added before turning to the waitress who had arrived with their food. Smiling, he nodded at her as she began filling their table with their orders.

-break-

After a while, Aiba served the food and sat on his usual place. "Tell me what you think," he said.

Shirota was already seated before his mouth watered at the sight. He nodded eagerly. "I will as soon as I get this into my system! It looks good!" he complimented, immediately reaching out to get a slice.

Aiba smiled as he opted to watch Shirota eat for a while to wait for his reaction and critic.

Shirota happily ate Aiba's Beef Burgundy, chewing for a few moments before his eyes widened before swallowing. "UMAI!" he exclaimed before moving to get some more. "This is really good!"

Aiba smiled brightly. "Really?" he said as he got some for himself and tried it out. "I guess you're right..." he said happily.

-break-

Dinner was mostly spent in remembering their past, mostly during their myu days. After which they had gone back to the comfort of their own home. "Hey, Eiji...you're not the only one with a surprise for today…well...compared to yours..." he said as they entered their bedroom. He took the guitar that was leaning on the wall before unzipping the case and took out the string instrument. "I made this for you…" he said as he sat on the bed and started to play.

_"Mado kara sashikomu yuuyaku ga tsukarete neteiru kimi wo terasu__  
__Honoka ni tadayou natsu no nioi omoide ni tokete yuku_

_Hoshi wo misetakute boku no umareta machi ni mukau__  
__Futari dake no nagareboshi_

_Kasaneteiru no te ga eien to shinjite__  
__Yorisoi kimi ni sasayaku yo__  
__Sekaijuu de ichiban taisetsu na koto__  
__Mirai mo kako mo kawaranai zutto_

_Itsumademo hanasanai eien to shinjite__  
__Kimi ni sasayaku yo__  
__Sekaijuu tada hitori daiji na no wa kimi__  
__Kako mo kawaranai zutto1_

_Sasai na koto demo kenka shita mukashi no kioku ga yomigaeru yo__  
__Tagai wo omoisugiteita dake omoide ga tokete yuku__  
_

_Hoshi wo misetakute boku no umareta machi ni mukau__  
__Futari dake no nagareboshi_

_Kasaneteiru no te ga eien to shinjite__  
__Yorisoi kimi wo dakishimete__  
__Tsunaida te no nukumori kienai you ni__  
__Mirai mo Kako mo kawaranai zutto__  
__Itsumademo hanasanai eien to shinjite__  
__Kimi wo dakishimete__  
__Tsunaida te no nukumori mamoritsutzuketai__  
__Kako mo kawaranai zutto__  
_

_Itsumademo hanasanai eien to shinjite__  
__Kako mo kawaranai zutto."_

Takigawa sat beside Kimeru on the bed as he listened to the song, a sweet smile etched on his face. At the end of the song, he fought back the tears that had been begging to come out halfway through.

Kimeru ended the song. "So..." he said nervously as he placed the guitar back in its case. "What do you think?" he asked nervously as he placed it back against the wall.

Takigawa sniffed, stopping himself from bursting into tears as he stood and moved towards Kimeru before silently pulling him into an embrace. It was only then did the tears fall. "It's perfect..." was all that came out of his mouth, unable to say anything else at the moment.

Kimeru smiled, blushing a bit. "Of course it is...it's for you after all," he said softly.

Takigawa pulled back, looking at Kimeru, his own face stained by his tears before smiling, bringing a hand to Kimeru's cheek. "You're perfect... I loved it... Thank you..." he said quietly before leaning over and kissing him.

-break-

After dinner, Shirota had offered to do the dishes while Aiba went to check up on Tezuka and Fuji.

Aiba observed the two quietly, wondering why Tezuka quickly became comfortable with Fuji, when his phone played _**'Owari na ki STAGE'**_, signaling that he received a message. He took it from his pocket and flipped it open. His eyes widened when he read the message. He looked at the two guinea pigs.

"So that's why..." he said. Fuji looked at him as if saying. _'What? You didn't even check...'_

Aiba blinked. "So much for not breeding...as long as the two of you don't produce the whole of Seigaku, then it's fine…" he said.

Shirota emerged from the kitchen and approached Aiba. "Shall we retreat upstairs?" he asked.

"Sure...uh…Yuu?" he said as they proceeded to go upstairs. "Don't be surprised if we suddenly wake up one day to find three guinea pigs instead of two, okay?" he carefully stated as they entered their bedroom. He closed the door behind him.

"WHAT?" Shirota exclaimed as soon as Aiba closed the door.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

We look forward to your reviews and possible suggestions. :)


	7. Of Stress and Celebrations

**Title:** Anything for You

**Author/Artist:** snooperj & Bloodysamurai

**Series/Pairing(s):** TeniMyu; Mainly Takigawa Eiji x Kimeru & Shirota Yuu x Aiba Hiroki

**Notes:** Here is the 7th chapter entitled **Of Stress and Celebrations**. This chapter focuses on three mini-stories. The first being Kimeru's collapse due to his work when his 'Starry Heavens' album was released (we couldn't move around the current timeline to coincide with the actual date of release, which was November 15, 2006, so we brought it up a month). It was around this time that Shirota and Aiba pay the other two a visit and ask for advice. You may spot that for Takigawa and Kimeru, there is a reversal of roles (as in Chapter 3). Huge chunks of flashbacks cause this chapter to drag on a bit.

The second touches on the celebration of Aiba's birthday (October 1), where quite a few things happen, but does not dwell too much on the entire day.

The last of the three is the celebration of Shirota and Aiba's anniversary, which again, is not as detailed as Takigawa and Kimeru's. This chapter spans from September 23 to November 2, 2006.

**ALSO! None of the authors of this roleplay/fanfic own TeniMyu or the actors, but are mere fangirls of the musical series and corresponding actors we write about. Everything that progresses in the story is the creation of our witty imaginations.

* * *

+++September 23, 2006+++

A few days later, Kimeru had released a new album. Takigawa was the first to get a copy to add to his current collection as Kimeru was out attending the album launch. Takigawa stayed home and took the opportunity to clean the house.

-break-

Aiba regularly checked on their two pets, making sure that both were alright. He then looked at Tezuka and sighed. "I'm going to blame you if Fuji's..." he trailed off, realizing that the sentence sounded _very_ wrong.

Shirota stepped into stride with Aiba, looking down at the two guinea pigs. "Really now, Aiba... You don't expect them to immediately..." he paused, not wanting to continue and instead changed the subject. "You never told me where Fuji came from..."

Aiba looked up at Shirota and smiled. "Takuya... he was looking for someone who could adopt one because he already has 9 of them," he explained.

"And you didn't bother asking what gender Fuji was?" Shirota asked.

"Slipped my mind?" Aiba said in embarrassment.

Shirota chuckled. "Oh well... Looks like we can't do anything about that anymore..." he said.

Aiba nodded. "As long as we don't end up with the entire Seigaku team then I'm fine with it," he said. Tezuka looked up at the two and when Aiba was going to attempt to pick up Fuji he moved in front of her. Aiba blinked. "Well, someone is getting territorial…" he observed with a grin.

"It's a nice gesture. Being protective of the one they care about. Inspiring, actually," Shirota teased.

-break-

Kimeru's manager noted that he had been looking under the weather lately and the J-pop idol was inclined to agree. The past few days have been a blur for him. He had to visit 3 different districts in one day for the past few days and it was finally taking a toll on him. He was thankful that today was the last day. His manager dropped him off at their place, congratulating him once more before leaving. Kimeru pulled out his set of keys and entered their home. "I'm home..." he called out as he opened the door.

Takigawa peeked out from the kitchen. He nodded to Kimeru before approaching him. "Welcome home!" he greeted, pausing when he noticed Kimeru's lack of his usual cheerfulness. "Are you feeling alright?" he asked, closing the front door and locked it.

Kimeru nodded as he tried to smile for Takigawa. "Just a little tired, that's all..." he assured him. "So what's for dinner?" he asked, changing the subject.

Takigawa nodded, capturing Kimeru's lips for a moment before turning, heading back towards the kitchen. "Oh, nothing special..." he replied.

Kimeru chuckled. "Really now…let's see your definition of-" His sentence was cut short when a sudden wave of vertigo caught him. "E…Eiji..." he said as he swayed a bit before collapsing.

Takigawa stopped when he heard a 'thud' and turned, eyes widening at the sight of Kimeru on the floor. "KIMERU!" he exclaimed, moving forward and shaking him gently. "Oi, Kime-kun. Wake up." He sighed before he collected Kimeru and lifted him quite easily off the carpeted floor and stood, adjusting his hold on the younger man before he headed upstairs and brought him to the bedroom. Upon setting Kimeru down, he pushed away Kimeru's bangs and examined him. "Looks like someone's overworked themselves..." he said with a sigh. Takigawa brought the blankets over Kimeru, kissed him on the forehead and closed the door silently, deciding to let him rest tonight. _'Looks like I'll be able to repay him properly now like this...'_ he told himself with a smile before heading downstairs; a slight change in the menu needed to be made.

+++September 24, 2006+++

The next day, Kimeru woke up with a groan. He opened his eyes and looked around. "Why do I feel as if I was run over by a 10-wheeler truck?" he asked as he tried to sit up and failed. "Oh yeah...dancing on stage like a lunatic while going to three different districts in one day for the past three days..." he told himself.

Takigawa pushed open the door with his elbow as he entered with a tray of food. Spotting that Kimeru was awake; he smiled and approached the bed. "You're finally up," he noted as he set the tray on the bedside table before taking a seat on the chair, turning his attention to Kimeru. "How are you feeling?" he asked with a hint of worry evident in his tone.

"Like something ran over me..."Kimeru answered as he raised his hand, frowning as he saw that it was shaking.

Takigawa took Kimeru's hand with both of his own, keeping it steady. "You just worked yourself too hard. Here, I made you some soup to help you relax," he said, nodding towards the tray.

Kimeru sighed. "I guess you're right," he said as he looked at the food on the tray. "Is it me or does this scene look all too familiar?" he asked.

Takigawa smiled. "Of course it is. Only we've switched roles and had different reasons for being lain out on the bed," he teased before moving to arrange the tray on his lap and took a spoonful of soup and blew on it gently before offering it to Kimeru. "Hai."

Kimeru sighed as he let Takigawa feed him, blushing a bit at his current situation.

-break-

Aiba was already downstairs; he was done with preparing breakfast and was waiting for Shirota to get up. He walked over to Tezuka and Fuji's cage. "Come you two, a little exercise would be beneficial for you both..." he said as he took the two out and placed them on the floor. "Fuji...is it me or have you been getting fat for the past few days?" he asked, and Fuji responded by scurrying around before slipping under the couch, Tezuka scampering after her.

Shirota had woken up the following morning, having taken a shower and was already putting on some clothes. He came downstairs as he pulled on a t-shirt. "Hiroki!" he called, just spotting the two guinea pigs at his feet as he approached the living room. He watched as Fuji zoomed underneath the couch, with Tezuka following soon after. "A-re?"

Aiba frowned. "I think Fuji's..." he told Shirota with a meaningful look.

Shirota frowned and returned his gaze under the couch, understanding hitting him. "Well, that's not a good sign..." he pointed out.

Aiba tilted his head to the side and pouted. "Why isn't that a good sign?" he asked. "We can let them have one, I guess...then we can have Fuji neutered..." he suggested. "Besides...Tezuka seems to be taking it well," he added as he bent down and saw Tezuka nuzzling Fuji under the couch. "See?"

"What are we going to call him/her?" Shirota asked with a serious expression on his face as he folded his arms across his chest.

Aiba blinked at Shirota before he burst out laughing. "G-gomen gomen!" he said as he calmed down. "You sound like a father anticipating his child," he teased as he stood and went over to Shirota to kiss him on the cheek. "Let's see...how about...Kunisuke?" he suggested.

Shirota lowered his arms. "I do?" he asked before smirking, moving to bring his hand to his chin in consideration. "That could work..."

"Hey...I suddenly remembered something…" Aiba said. "Remember the time where you released your Best Actor Series...and the long line for the album signing?"

_**Aiba sighed as he tugged his cap down; he thought that it was a good idea to secretly come to Shirota's album signing even if the other already told him not to because of the many possibilities but he didn't listen. Now there he was, standing 5th in the line for Shirota to sign the album.**__ 'Well…it's well worth it, I guess...'_ _**he thought as the line moved slowly.**_

Shirota eased Aiba onto the couch with him. "That's a bit difficult to forget," he stated wryly.

_**Shirota had arrived at the release of his Tezuka Best Actor Series where he was greeted to a mass of camera flashes and cheers. He sat himself down at a table, ready to entertain his fans with an autograph signing of his album.**__**  
**_

Aiba frowned. "I already apologized back then for not listening...I wanted to surprise you," he said.

_**Aiba felt relieved when it was already his turn. He handed the CD to Shirota, hoping that he wouldn't be recognized...after all...he had Kenken and Kazuki's help to try and dress up in something that wouldn't give away who he really was...after all...being in the middle of all of Shirota's fans could be dangerous..**__**  
**_

"You did. Of course, it wasn't just me," Shirota replied.

_**Shirota took the CD. "Who am I signing this for?" he asked cheerfully, looking up to the supposed fan as he blinked. He recognized this person anywhere. **__'I thought I told you..!'__**he thought to himself in alarm, before narrowing his eyes and muttered, "What are you doing here?"**__**  
**_

-break-

"You know..." Takigawa began, while continuing to feed Kimeru. "I was planning on making some soup for you as well... That day when you came home from your out-of-town shoot... Earlier, I was hesitant on making it again, thinking I'd cut my finger again at the sheer thought of the memory of it all while I was cutting the vegetables..." he explicated.

Kimeru blinked, unsure of what to say. "Well..." he said in one of the intervals of Takigawa's feeding process of feeding him. "I didn't think what happened before would happen anyway…"

"I'm happy to report my finger is cut-free," Takigawa announced, holding up his left index finger. "Though my hand altogether will need more time to rest," he added with a sigh before slipping another spoonful of soup into Kimeru's waiting mouth.

After Takigawa finished feeding Kimeru, the J-pop singer mumbled an apology and a thank you.

Takigawa set the tray back on the side table. "No need to apologize. I brought this upon myself..." he reassured him before leaning over and kissed Kimeru on the forehead before taking the tray as he stood. "For now, you should probably get some rest."

Kimeru nodded as he tried to smile. "Hai..." he said as he snuggled under the covers again.

Takigawa silently left the room, heaving a sigh before heading downstairs, deciding to attend to Q and Pearl while Kimeru took a well-deserved rest.

Kimeru drifted to sleep sooner than he expected. Soon he started dreaming of a stage and some dances…along with a Tezuka that swept him off his feet. "Eiji..." he whispered in his sleep as he smiled.

-break-

"It was a surprise...?" Aiba said.

_**Aiba blinked in surprise, unsure of what to do. He didn't really expect that Shirota would recognize him after all. "Er...w-what do you mean, Shirota-san?" he asked, acting the part of the confused "fan", hoping that Shirota would do a second take and would think that he wasn't who he was.**_

_**Shirota caught the hint and settled back in his chair and shook his head. "Nothing, my mistake..." **__'Of course it's you, Aibbachin... But if you don't want anybody to recognize you, I won't blow it for you...' __**he told himself as he looked down at the copy of his album and wrote a small dedication he had been saving for Aiba and finished it off with his signature before handing it out to him with a nod. "Thank you for the support," he said.**__**  
**_

_**Aiba inwardly sighed in relief when he heard Shirota buy the act. "Arigatou," he said respectfully as he bowed and moved was already supposed to leave the venue but he decided against it; he leaned on one of the pillars nearby, getting a good view of Shirota who smiled at his fans and signed the CDs. He looked at his own copy, a copy that Shirota gave him a week before its release. He opened the case to read Shirota's dedication, thinking that it would be one of those generic ones like "Thank you for always supporting me" or "I appreciate this gesture and I hope that you would like this album" or something like that. Much to his surprise, it wasn't.**_

**'Aibacchin,**  
**Arigatou. For everything.**  
**Saa, yudan sezu ni ikou.**  
**(But seriously, I'm glad I met you. I'm glad I fell in love with you. So here's to many more years I hope to spend with you.)**  
**Yours forever,**  
**Shirota Yuu / Shirotan**  
**PS. Enjoy the CD!'  
**_**  
**__**"Shirotan..." he whispered with a bitter smile as he felt the sadness he had been feeling for the past few weeks return. It had been a while since they saw each other. Ever since their break from Myu, they had to attend to their own jobs; Aiba on his dancing career while Shirota had other projects whose schedule didn't really vibe with Aiba's own. He felt lonely for the first few days and it became almost intolerable after a few more.**__**That was why when he heard that there was going to be a "Best Actor Series" release of Shirota's happening around the same place where they were having a rehearsal, he immediately asked some of his companions to make an excuse while he went out to go to the event. And now he was there...watching the person he loved the most. **__'If only there was a way to be with you in my every waking moment then it wouldn't__have to be like this...I feel strange, acting like a lovesick fool in a shojo manga...then again...I AM a lovesick fool...'__**he thought as he turned around. "I guess I'll be seeing you around, Shirotan…" he whispered to himself as he started to walk towards the exit.**_

-break-_**  
**_

Takigawa had let Q out of his cage and let him into the house as he watched him hop around. "I'm sure you've missed the open space," he said, watching the fat rabbit move around.

-break-

_**Shirota, while continuously signing CDs and greeting his fans, was thinking about Aiba suddenly showing up. For a while now, he had considered visiting him during one of his rehearsals but his schedule simply didn't allow him the time. Their break from TeniMyu wasn't helping them with their relationship very much. It was when he had seen Aiba - despite the ridiculous outfit he had on - after all this time did his desire to be with him increase with such intensity. **__**He had seemed to blank out at thinking up a dedication before he stood, his mind decided. "Excuse me," he said, apologizing to his fan and left the table and headed out into the crowd to search for him, looking in every possible direction for Aiba. **__'I've decided... I don't care if our schedules don't coincide... I just...'__**he thought, moving further out into the crowd, oblivious to the people who were following him in is hunt for whatever it was he was looking for. It was when he had turned his attention towards the exit of the venue did he spot him. **__'I just...' __**Shirota ran towards Aiba and took him by the arm and turned him around to face him. **__'I just want to be with you. Forever.' "__**Aibacchin..." he said, a little out of breath.**_

_**Aiba turned around quickly, causing the cap he was wearing to fall off. **__'Uh-oh... '__**he thought as he heard some squeals of delight. **__**He then turned to face the person who grabbed him. "S-Shirotan?" he said in surprise as he completely faced the other boy. "Wha-what are you doing? Your fans..." he said, trailing off.**_

_**A lot of fans had gathered around them as Shirota gave them a moment's glance before resettling his gaze on Aiba. "At the moment, it doesn't matter now... What **__does __**matter...is about us," he said, giving him a sweet smile before pulling him into an embrace, the crowd cheering them on.**_

_**Aiba instantly turned red as Shirota told him this. "I...I..." he stuttered out, unsure of what to say, but even if that was the case, he couldn't stop the smile forming on his face.**_

_**"I want to spend as much time as I can with you... So!" Shirota said, pulling back, a large grin on his face. "Do you want to come and live with me?" he asked eagerly, much to the delight of his fans, almost all of whom had taken out their phones and cameras and were taking pictures.**_

_**When Shirota had asked him, some of the fans had already fainted with excitement. **__**Aiba turned even redder, even if it wasn't humanly possible anymore, and blinked at Shirota. "You...you want me to live with you?" he asked. He paused for a moment."Baka Shirotan...of course I would!" he said as he threw his arms around Shirota.**_

Shirota chuckled. "After that, I believe I received thrice the normal count of fan mail, according to my manager," he said fondly.

"Ah...and my manager wasn't surprised when we told him this afterward," Aiba added with a grin. He then remembered something else. "Wait...Tezuka and Fuji are both still under the couch, aren't they?"

"Someone seemed to have told your manager about it..." Shirota replied, stroking his chin in contemplation before nodding. "I think they are. Why?"

"It's not healthy for Fuji to stay under there..." he said as he stood and went to the couch just in front of them, he bent over and tried to reach the two animals.

"Is that right?" Shirota moved and got on all fours and bent down, whistling over to the two to come out. "Tezuka! Fujiko! Time to get out from under there!" he called, the side of his face resting on the carpet as he looked under the couch.

Aiba frowned. "I don't think they want to...and we can't even grab them because Tezuka might bite us..." he said as he tried to think of something.

"We can't worry about that if we want Fuji to-" Shirota moved closer and extended his arm out for them before one of them - Tezuka, he figured - bit his thumb. Gritting his teeth, he managed to grab hold of one of them and pulled them out. He sat down and saw that he had taken Fuji. Tezuka came scampering out moments later. Shirota took Tezuka into his other hand and got to his feet and placed them back into their cage.

"Smart move...but you got yourself bitten again," Aiba said as he examined Shirota's finger. "That Tezuka is more of a Shishido sometimes..." he muttered as he dragged Shirota to the sink to wash the bite.

"Not that I'd like to re-christen him a name..." Shirota stated as he allowed himself to be dragged off to the nearest sink. "Besides, did you think of another way to get them out?" he mused.

Aiba shook his head. "Honsetly? No idea..." he said as finished washing Shirota's wound. "There..." he said with a satisfied smile.

"Sankyu," Shirota said gratefully, nodding over and pecked him on the cheek. "Saa, why don't we pay Takigawa-senpai and Kimeru-senpai a visit? The last time we say each other was when they temporarily broke off..." Shirota said with a frown. "I want to see how they're getting along!"

Aiba thought for a moment and nodded. "Sounds good to me, I'm also wondering how Kimeru-senpai is doing," he admitted.

Suddenly excited, Shirota moved to the door. "Takigawa-senpai told me that he took Kimeru-senpai out the whole day a few days ago just to celebrate their anniversary!" he said eagerly as he searched for his shoes.

"Bottom left, Yuu…" Aiba said as he pulled out and wore his own shoes. "Takigawa-senpai can be very romantic, ne?"

"Aah, sankyu!" he said, spotting his shoes and hastily slipped them on. "Mou, I want to do that too! He said he drove him all the way to Nagano to see the Hida Mountains, then to a shrine in Chiba where Takigawa-senpai confessed, and then dinner at Kimeru-senpai's favorite restaurant!" Shirota described passionately as he opened the door. "If only we had a car..." he said, hanging his head with an accompanying sigh.

Aiba patted him on the back as he closed and locked the door behind him. "We'll get there..." he said. "For now, we would just have to make do with commuting," he said.

-break-

Soon enough they reached the place where Takiagawa and Kimeru lived. Aiba knocked on the door.

Pearl was the first to respond, barking at the knock on the door. Takigawa took Q into his arms. "I'm coming!" he announced before heading to the door. "Pearl, sit," he ordered before opening the door, smiling at who was at the door as he stepped aside. "It's been a while," he said.

"Konnichiwa, Takigawa-senpai," Shirota greeted, stepping inside with Aiba before looking around. "A-re? Where's Kimeru-senpai?"

Takigawa closed the door behind them and sighed. "He's upstairs in bed. Stress seemed to have taken the better of him, what with his busy schedule with the release of his new album," he explained.

Aiba frowned. "Can we go see him, senpai?" he asked hopefully.

Takigawa thought about it for a moment, stroking Q in his arms as Shirota moved up and did the same thing. "I cannot guarantee if he'll wake up, but you could go ahead and try, Aibacchin," he replied. "Shirotan and I will wait down here," he said, gesturing to the living room.

"Kawaii!" Shirota complimented, following Takigawa to a couch, his attention on Q.

Takigawa chuckled at this and turned to Aiba. "Seems something else has gotten his attention," he said.

Aiba grinned. "It would seem so...though I wonder why he isn't that fond of Tezuka and Fuji at home..." he said before he went over to the stairs. "Later, senpai!" he said as he ran upstairs.

-break-

Kimeru yawned; he looked at the watch and noticed that he had been asleep for some time. "...I want my laptop..." he muttered sleepily.

"Then I'll get it for you senpai!" a cheery voice said.

"Ai...ba?" he said as he looked at the person by the door.

-break-

Shirota, after fussing over Q for some time, turned to look over to the stairs before sighing with relief.

"Did you just-" Takigawa began, before Shirota merely nodded in reply.

"It was the only way I could think of for me to have some time with you, Takigawa-senpai... I..." Shirota paused, biting his lip before continuing. "I need your advice!" he said, clapping both hands together and bowing.

-break-

"Hai~" Aiba said with a smile, he then sat on the bed and his smile faded away.

"Something wrong, Aibacchin?" Kimeru asked as Aiba nodded.

"Well senpai...our anniversary is coming and..." he trailed off.

"Let me guess...you're out of ideas for Shirota," Kimeru continued and Aiba nodded again.

The older Fuji actor grinned. "Well...I guess I have a few ideas..." he started and Aiba turned around to look at him.

-break-

Takigawa raised his eyebrows. He chuckled and set Q down on the floor. "If it's about your anniversary, there's something I would like to warn you about..." he began.

"I'm listening..." Shirota replied, shifting himself to a more comfortable position.

"At all costs... Try to keep yourself from getting injured on that day. It would only leave Aibacchin in a bad mood and get frustrated for not being able to spend it properly with you," he explained, shuddering at the mere memory of being ignored by Kimeru.

-break-

"You ignored him?" Aiba asked, blinking, Kimeru had shared with him some tips and had just shared his experience on their own anniversary.

Kimeru frowned. "I was disappointed even if it wasn't his fault..." he admitted. "But in the end it worked out…though I wouldn't advice delaying it...you do want getting some action after you celebrate," he teased.

Aiba turned red. "Senpai!" he said loudly, causing Kimeru to laugh.

-break-

Shirota nodded. "I'll try to remember that," he replied, not wanting him and Aiba to go through the same thing. "So, how did you know how to make it up to Kimeru-senpai when you celebrated your anniversary?"

Takigawa cleared his throat. "Well, for one thing, I deliberately asked him where he wanted to go. Besides that, I had to find a few other places to go to so that we'd be able to have the whole day planned out."

-break-

Aiba was still blushing madly when Kimeru's laughter died down. "Now now Aibacchin..." the J-Pop singer said. "No need to get all flustered."

"Mou...senpai is mean…" Aiba said.

Kimeru chuckled. "Of course I am. I'm like your older brother after all," he said with a smile that caused Aiba to look at him again. "Before you get all mushy on me, could you please go downstairs and tell Eiji that's I'm up?" he asked.

Aiba nodded. "Hai~~" he said as he stood. "...Kime-nii," he added before dashing out, leaving Kimeru staring at the door before a smile graced his lips.

"Taki-senpai~~~ Kime-nii is awake..." he said happily, not minding that he's already using the "nii" in front of the other two.

Shirota was nodding eagerly as Takigawa shared a few more tips for him before they turned to Aiba, who had announced that Kimeru was awake. Takigawa raised an eyebrow at the manner Aiba had called Kimeru before inwardly sighing as he got to his feet, nodding to Aiba. "Arigatou, Aibacchin. Saa, let's all head upstairs and give him some company," he said, pushing the two upstairs into the bedroom.

Kimeru grinned as he saw the three enter the room. "Nice of you to visit," he told Shirota as Aiba went back to sit on the bed; Kimeru chuckled.

Aiba nodded. "It was Yuu's idea, actually," he said.

"I hope you're feeling better, Kimeru-senpai..." Shirota said with a slight bow as he took the chair Takigawa had offered him, the first Tezuka actor opting to stand. "I suggested that we come and visit you two practically on a whim," he said with a nervous chuckle.

"I _still_ find it ironic, but at least we're not here with an ominous atmosphere as before..." Takigawa teased, reminded of the sudden leave of the two younger actors when they had entered the room once before when Takigawa was in bed.

Aiba grinned. "Ne, senpai...could I ask you two something?" he suddenly asked.

Kimeru nodded. "You seem to have a lot of questions today, Aibacchin...is this part of Shirota's effect on you?" he teased.

"I guess you can say that," Aiba said with a smile. "Ne, senpai...how did you two ended up living together?" he asked.

Kimeru thought for a moment. "Hmm...I guess it's only fair to tell them the story since we already know theirs from before, ne?" he asked Takigawa.

Shirota pouted. "Mou, Hiroki! Just because we were talking about that earlier on doesn't mean you have to ask them about it, too!" Shirota complained, but found himself unable to want to hear the story.

"Aw, come on, Yuu! I know you want to know, too!" Aiba said.

Takigawa turned to Kimeru before he nodded. "Since we were already paying frequent visits to one another's houses and all, it wasn't very long before I asked him to move in with me..." he began.

_**Takigawa was in the middle of making dinner for himself when the doorbell suddenly rang. **__**"Strange... I don't remember having any guests over tonight..." he told himself as he set down his knife and, with his apron still on, headed to answer the door. "I'm coming!" he announced before opening the door.**_

"What surprised me was that I had found Kimeru with at _least_ a week's worth of baggage at my doorstep that night..." Takigawa explained.

Kimeru grinned. "Well...it wasn't my fault now was it?" he teased.

_**Kimeru grinned. "Hey Eiji!" he greeted. "Remember when you said that you didn't have anything to do this week and that you said that since I was shooting my MTV near your place I should just sleep over?" he asked, his eyes shining in amusement.**__**  
**_

"Yes it was..." Takigawa muttered. "I totally drew a blank that I had offered..."

_**Takigawa merely blinked a few times. "I did?" he asked, unsure if he had indeed offered that Kimeru stay with him during his shoot. Not waiting for an answer, he opened the door wider and reached for one of the J-Pop singer's suitcases. "Well, since you're already here, I guess there's not much I can do about it. Come on, then..."**_

Kimeru smirked. "Yeah, it was quite obvious that you did."

_**Kimeru smiled as he took some of the smaller bags and took them inside. "You don't know how much of a help this is for me," he said.**_

_**Takigawa nodded, closing the door as soon as Kimeru had entered the house. "I'm just about to cook dinner," he began, setting Kimeru's luggage down by the couch before headed back towards the kitchen. "Seems I'll need to prepare a bit more for the two of us..."**_

_**Kimeru moved to stop him. "Wait! I already brought take-out for the both of us! Remember that Italian restaurant I told you about a while back?" he asked as he showed him the container where the food was in. "Since you told me that you didn't have the time to go here, I thought that I should just bring it to you instead," he said with a smile.**_

_**Takigawa turned to Kimeru. "Is this your way of having me forgive your sudden intrusion?" he teased before disappearing into the kitchen for a few minutes, packing up the chopped carrots in a container, washed all the utensils he had used, hung up his apron and took out a few plates before heading to the dining room. "Since it's **__**that **__**particular restaurant food, I couldn't possibly resist. So..." He took the containers from Kimeru and gave him a chaste kiss. "Arigatou~"**_

_**Kimeru blushed a bit. "No problem," he said as he pulled Takigawa to the dining room. "Now come on! I'm starving!" he said with a laugh.**_

_**Pearl came in barking as Takigawa managed to set the containers on the dinner table before bending over. "I'll feed you in a bit. Just wait a little bit longer, okay?" he said, scratching Pearl behind the ear before straightening up. "Let's get to dinner, then."**__**  
**_  
"You really had to spoil me with that food. After that night, I insisted we eat there _at least_ every week..." Takigawa said as a tint of red appeared on his cheeks.

"But wasn't it because of that that it became your favorite restaurant, Takigawa-senpai?" Shirota asked, as the first Tezuka actor nodded in reply.

"That was the idea Eiji…" Kimeru teased.

Aiba chuckled. "Then what happened, senpai?" he asked.

"Well…he actually asked me after a few days...when we were about to go to bed of all times," Kimeru said.

_**Kimeru yawned as he stepped out of the bathroom; he moved to his spot beside Takigawa and snuggled under the cover. "This wasn't a productive day..." he muttered.**_

Takigawa flushed, turning away from the others, his memory of that night etched vividly into his mind.

_**Takigawa wrapped an arm around Kimeru, pulling him close. "Na, Kimeru..." he began, a bit apprehensive on what he was going to say.**_

_**Kimeru relaxed into Takigawa's hold. "What is it?" he asked as he closed his eyes.**_

_**"We've been sleeping over at each other's houses for some time now..." Takigawa began. "And I was wondering... if it would be easier for both of us if... we just lived together? Because..." he trailed off, but finished it in thought.**_ _'...I want to spend the rest of my life with you... Spend every moment I can... with YOU...'_

Aiba grinned as the two continued the story.

_**Kimeru looked up, blinking at Takigawa. "Huh? Don't I technically already live here?" he asked, taking a good look at the other's expression before grinning widely. "Kidding. Of course I want to move in too! We should have thought of this a while back," he said as he leaned forward to kiss Takigawa.**_

_**"Aa..." Takigawa smirked and returned to kiss with his own.**__**  
**_  
Shirota turned to Aiba. "Why didn't we have sleepovers before you moved in?" he said in protest.

Aiba turned beet red at the statement. "That would be because I lived with my parents before I moved in with you..." he reminded.

Kimeru blinked. "Must have been a headache explaining to them," he said.

Aiba shook his head. "Actually...they were the first ones who figured out that I was in love with Yuu before I did..." he admitted, looking away in embarrassment.

Kimeru grinned. "That's expected."

"Hey!"

Shirota had fallen off the chair in shock. "NANDATO?"

Takigawa moved to Shirota and helped him back up. "Oi, no need to exaggerate, Shirotan..."

Shirota turned to Takigawa, apologized and got to his feet.

Aiba chuckled. "You mean you didn't know?" he asked in amusement.

Kimeru smiled. "Looks like it," he said.

"Of course I didn't..." Shirota muttered, pushing his two index fingers together as he retook his seat on the chair.

Takigawa laughed, messing up Shirota's hair in the process. "Isn't it funny how a guy like this can be so serious sometimes?" he teased as Shirota blushed before ducking out of Takigawa's hold, consequently leaving the chair as he got to his feet.

"Senpai!" he said in protest, fixing his hair as he sent Takigawa a mock glare.

Aiba smiled. "That's my Yuu-chan," he said as he got to his feet and latched on to Shirota's arm.

"Young love..." Kimeru said with a chuckle.

Shirota turned to Aiba and smiled, stealing a kiss on his cheek before looking at his watch. "Well, it looks like we should be heading off now. We've got a bus to catch," he announced, nodding to the older couple.

Takigawa nodded. "Shirotan..." he began.

"Hai, senpai?" the second Tezuka actor inquired.

"Do you and Aiba plan to get a car anytime soon?"

Shirota turned to Aiba, as if asking him to answer the question for him.

Aiba thought for a moment. "Hmm...well, Yuu and I are saving up for one…" he said slowly as he looked at Shirota.

Kimeru looked at Takigawa, comprehending why he suddenly asked the question. Takigawa nodded, acknowledging that the answer was sufficient enough for him, avoiding Kimeru's gaze for the time being. He would tell Kimeru his idea later.

Shirota furrowed his brows but decided not to press the matter. "Itekimasu!" he said with a bow before taking Aiba by the wrist, leading him out the room and eventually out of the house.

"Ja, senpai!" Aiba called out as they left.

Kimeru chuckled. "What kind of car?" he asked as soon as they were alone.

Takigawa's gaze lingered at the door before turning to Kimeru and took the vacant seat. "I'll have to think about it. But it's the best thing we could give them for their anniversary, don't you think?" Takigawa said with a chuckle. "Did you hear about Shirota's little adventure during that Minami incident?"

Kimeru nodded. "How could I not? It spread faster than grass fire...I still can't believe he ran 10 blocks..." he said.

Takigawa nodded. "He was in a panic, after hearing that Aiba was alone with Minami... Someone who would risk running 10 blocks just for someone they love is someone who should be admired and therefore should be rewarded," he mused.

"Agreed," Kimeru said as he shifted to lay down again. "Those two deserve rewards every now and then," he added.

Takigawa nodded. "Which reminds me... Do we have any plans of doing anything for Aibacchin's birthday? It's coming up pretty soon," he stated.

"You're right...my mind is drawing a complete blank..." Kimeru admitted.

"Well, we don't have to ponder on it right now..." Takigawa said with finality. "You can get more rest if you like," he added as he got to his feet.

"That'd be nice..." Kimeru said with a yawn.

Takigawa nodded, leaning forward and kissing Kimeru on the forehead and adjusted his blankets for him to make him warmer. "Oyasumi," he whispered before turning to leave the room.

"Oyasumi..." Kimeru managed to say before immediately falling asleep again.

Takigawa smiled to himself as he watched Kimeru settle in to sleep before he closed the door to the bedroom quietly before he decided to spend the rest of the afternoon in the gym.

-break-

Shirota sneezed for a reason he did not know as he looked around.

Aiba looked at Shirota and felt his forehead. "You're not coming down with a cold, are you?" he asked.

Shirota shook his head. "I don't think so... Somebody must be talking about me..." he said with a grin as they arrived at the bus stop.

Aiba chuckled. "Who isn't thinking and or talking about the great Shirota Yuu?" he teased.

Shirota playfully slapped Aiba on the head. "A lot of people, especially those who are talking about the magnificent Aiba Hiroki!" he replied.

Aiba grinned as he resumed latching on to Shirota's arm like a happy little koala. The bus arrived as Shirota and Aiba got on, 4 stops away from their house as they settled in one of the pair of seats in the back.

-break-

Takigawa moved into the gym after retrieving a towel from the cabinet along the way as he looked around. He had not been in this room for quite some time as he wondered what to do. He took off his shirt and moved to the treadmill and powered it up before he started jogging.

-break-

Aiba leaned his head to rest on Shirota's shoulder as soon as they were seated. "Kime-nii and Takigawa-senpai sure act like an old married couple, don't they?" he asked randomly.

Shirota turned his head slightly to Aiba. "What made you say that?" he asked. "And anyway, I noticed you've started calling Kimeru-senpai 'Kime-nii'..." he added with a frown. "Did Takigawa-senpai and I miss something?"

Aiba chuckled. "The way they act around one another...it was just like how my parents interacted," he explained. "Oh...and that sort of came from Kime-nii himself..." he added. "He said that he saw me like a little brother...interesting isn't it?"

Shirota chuckled in silent agreement. "That's very endearing..." he said in response to the topic on Kimeru acknowledging Aiba as his little brother. i_'I don't know if I should be jealous...'/i_ he thought to himself with an inward sigh.

Aiba noticed the sudden silence. "Yuu? Is something wrong?" he asked.

Shirota shook his head. "No, nothing. It's nothing," he stuttered, forcing a smile before fixing his gaze out the window.

-break-

Kimeru woke up a few minutes later, feeling the urgency to get some water into his system. He looked around and noticed that he was alone and he thought it would be best to not bother Takigawa anymore since the other had been nothing but caring to him for the past few hours. He got to his feet; pausing a bit to steady himself and went downstairs to get a glass of water. After doing so he got some bottled water, so that it wouldn't break if he dropped it, and went back upstairs. Upon reaching the last step he noticed that one of the doors were open. "Eiji?" he called out quietly as he looked inside. What he saw made him freeze in place. Takigawa was on the treadmill, sweat was already forming on his body due to the work out and...he didn't even have a shirt on. He felt his face heat up and swore that he felt a nosebleed coming on. He grabbed some tissues from the box on the table that was just conveniently beside him and used it as a makeshift handkerchief for the anticipated nosebleed. He leaned on the wall as he started to get dizzy again. _'I knew I shouldn't have looked...'_ he scolded himself.

-break-

Takigawa checked the monitor on the treadmill, keeping track of how many miles he had run. A few minutes after he started, he brought the speed up until he was running, and set it to approximately 10 blocks - just to see how far it actually was. He finished the run and was slightly out of breath as he stepped out of the treadmill, reaching for the towel and brought it to his face, wiping off the accumulated sweat on his face and on his upper body, his breathing slow and heavy. He turned to the door and raised a curious eyebrow, a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. _'Kimeru?'_ he thought to himself as he brought the towel to hang over his neck as he headed to the door. Stepping out, he found his lover holding his nose with a mound of tissue paper, causing the older man to raise an eyebrow. "What are you..." he began, but trailed off, deciding not to even ask. "You should be resting..." he said with a shrug.

Kimeru sighed. "I know...but...water...downstairs...upstairs...open door...gym...treadmill... sweating...sexy…" He clamped his mouth shut when he realized what his last word was. "Er...bed," he said quickly as he carefully made his way back into their room.

Takigawa watched Kimeru before smirking, following him to the room and took him by the arm just before he could re-enter the room and pulled him into a deep kiss. He pulled back and said, "I'll take that as a compliment."

Kimeru was surprised when Takigawa pulled him into a kiss; making him release his hold on the water bottle to hold on to Takigawa's shoulders to keep him steady.

Takigawa released his hold on Kimeru and reached down for the bottle and handed it to him before shooing him into the room. "Go on, then. Back to bed with you," he teased, waving at Kimeru before closing the door.

Kimeru nodded as he went back to the room and back to bed. He grinned at the image of Takigawa in his mind before drifting off to sleep once more. Takigawa returned to the gym room to continue exercising, making use of the dumbbell set and the bicycle machine.

-break-

Aiba frowned. "Come on, Yuu...I know you better than that. What's up?" he asked.

"You might think it's childish..." Shirota whined quietly.

Aiba grinned. "I won't! I promise!" he said. "Now tell me…"

Shirota turned to Aiba, apprehensive for a moment before he muttered. "I'm just jealous... About how you and Kimeru-senpai call each other..."

Aiba sighed. "Why am I not surprised?" he said. "Yuu...Kimeru-senpai and I have established the fact that we have a brotherly relationship," he said. "And...you don't have to be jealous unless you want to be demoted to a brother figure...which is quite impossible for me since I love you more than a brother..." He thought for a moment. "How can I keep you from getting jealous, Yuu-chan?" he asked with a pout.

"You misunderstand," Shirota said, rubbing his nose. "Not between you and me..." he began. "Me and Takigawa-senpai..." he finished quietly before shaking his head. "Well, it's not that I can expect it from _him_ of all people..."

"Ah~~" Aiba said in understanding. "Then why don't you tell him that? I'm sure Takigawa-senpai won't mind." _'...but I'm sure your real brothers will...' _he added in his mind.

Shirota looked over to Aiba before giving him a grin. "I know what you're thinking," he pointed out.

Aiba blinked up at him. "Really, now…Alright...what am I thinking?" he challenged.

"You shouldn't be worrying about Jun-nii too much. He and Dai-nii are too busy to worry about their younger brother's affairs or who he gets involved with. They've accepted that I'd end up with _somebody_ from the cast when I was cast as Tezuka for TeniMyu..." Shirota said with a smirk, poking Aiba's nose. "Plus, now that I think about it, 'Eiji-nii' has a nice tone to it!" he stated proudly.

Aiba fell silent at the mention of Shirota's brothers, suddenly remembering his own family for a while. He shook his head as he willed away the memory. "So...When are you going to tell Taki-senpai?" he asked.

Shirota thought about it before he looked out the window. "The next time we see each other," he replied. The pair had departed the bus at their designated stop and walked the rest of the way back to the house, where they spent the rest of the day in each other's company - at least before Aiba began putting more attention on their two guinea pigs.

+++October 1, 2006+++  
(For this day while Aiba's father is around, Aiba shall be referred to as 'Hiroki' for easier distinction.)

The week had passed by with Shirota bustling about - behind Aiba's back - preparing everything for his birthday; which included calling all of the 1st and 2nd cast Seigaku regulars, the Hyoutei regulars, Ueshima-sensei and the Ichinen trio actors, getting Aiba's gift ready and finally, his month-long surprise - a visit from Aiba's father.

On the morning of Aiba's birthday, Shirota had arranged that Aiba Daisuke come over that morning, therefore he had to wake up earlier than usual to make breakfast and meet his 'father-in-law' at the train station to pick him up.

-break-

Daisuke looked at his watch as soon as he reached his station. He nodded in satisfaction when he saw that he was just on time. He stepped into the waiting area for his 'son-in-law' to pick him up. "Son-in-law..." He smiled at the mere thought of it; then again it was true. It had been a while since that day and he swore that it must have been the biggest surprise of his life; not that he minded anymore of course. He sighed at the thought that this would be the second time he would see the boy again, the first time being when he was performing onstage with his son, Hiroki. He frowned at the thought. He had wondered why he was the one that Shirota had asked to come along for that day since he knew that Hiroki wasn't really on good terms with him. Ever since that day that his son had told him that he was in love with the Tezuka actor they had never spoken to one another. He knew for a fact that it was a wrong move but he couldn't help it. After all...Hiroki was his youngest...and ONLY son. He remembered his daughter and her efforts to make him understand and accept his son's situation, and soon (thanks to his wife who also stepped in) he did. He looked at his watch again, checking the time. He hoped that during this opportunity presented to him he would be able to fix this little mess of his and bridge the gap that had formed between him and Hiroki for the past year. He looked at the small box he had brought along, a present from him and his wife, while another box, a bit bigger than the first, was just beneath it. That one came from his daughter...Hiroki's older sister.

-break-

Shirota had taken the early bus to the stop near the train station and walked the rest of the way. He checked his watch now and again as he ascended the stairs to the waiting area. _'He's going to get angry for me being late,'_ he said to himself with an inward groan. Upon reaching the top of the stairs, he spotted the man he had arranged to meet and approached him, catching his breath. "Gomen!" he said as soon as he was within earshot, offering a bow to the older man. "I had forgotten how far the bus stop was from the station," Shirota added.

Daisuke saw Shirota as he arrived; he had expected something like this, after all Hiroki had told them about Shirota in his emails.

"It's alright, Yuu-kun," he said, "You aren't that late anyway," he answered as he picked up the boxes. "Hiroki isn't with you?" he asked.

Shirota shook his head. "He's still fast asleep," he explained before holding his hands out. "Would you like me to carry those for you, Aiba-san?" he offered.

Daisuke handed him the smaller box. "You can take that one," he said. He then looked at Shirota for a moment before asking, "I'm sorry about the sudden question but…Did you want to talk about something?" he asked, knowing full well that his son will freak out once he knows that he interrogated the younger boy.

Shirota nodded, taking the box in hand before he eyed Aiba Daisuke - which he constantly reminded himself was Hiroki's _father_ - and eventually nodded a bit apprehensively. "H...Hai..." he paused. "But, before that, we should be heading back. I'd like to surprise Hiroki before he wakes up..." he said distractedly, gesturing to the stairs.

"We can talk on the way, after all... I'm sure that you know that Hiroki sleeps in during days like these..." he said as he walked with Shirota on the stairs. He then noticed the younger boy's nervousness. "Relax, Yuu-kun...I don't bite people like Hiroki does. He got that from his mother," he said in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Shirota nodded at the fact that Hiroki sleeps in. _'It's what gives me the time to make something special for him in the morning,'_ he told himself before reaching the bottom of the stairs before they started off to the bus stop at a moderate pace. He forced a smile at the man's words before he nodded again. "About Hiroki and I..." he began.

Daisuke noticed where the conversation was heading. "Yuu-kun, if I still did not approve of it, I wouldn't be here," he said simply as he continued walking, stopping when they reached the bus stop.

Shirota stopped in stride with the man and checked his watch. They had about five minutes before the next bus arrived. He nodded in reply. "I suppose so..." he agreed. "I do apologize for asking you to come over like this so suddenly, Aiba-san..." he started again before finding some other place to distract himself.

"It's no problem," Daisuke said with a small smile. "I have been planning to come over for quite some time...after all...I still have some...unfinished business, if you can call it that," he said. "So this is something I am indebted to you for."

Shirota nodded to him again. "You're welcome, then..." he replied. "A-no... If it's not too much to ask... when exactly did you... eh... approve of our relationship?"

Daisuke thought for a moment before looking at Shirota. "That would be after the ceremony," he said. "I thought that if someone can make Hiroki that happy -something that none of us has really managed to do before, if I may add - then I won't argue any further," he explained. "...even if that someone was a man as well, then so be it. It's not that uncommon, after all," he added.

A slight blush came to Shirota's cheeks as the bus arrived, accepting the compliment with yet another nod before he boarded the bus ahead of the man. It wasn't long before they had sat themselves down and the bus had started off on its usual route. Their stop was still 5 stops away, so Shirota was wondering what to discuss about now.

Daisuke looked out of the window and realized that it would be the first time he would be seeing Shirota's place. He tried not to list any expectations in his mind, but was failing miserably...so he decided to start a conversation...for once in his life.

"Tell me, Yuu-kun, what attracted you to Hiroki? After all, there were other people around you during that time, not to mention that you were famous," he asked.

Shirota turned to the older man, his cheeks heating up as he cleared his throat. "It... It's hard to describe..." he began. "Popularity didn't really sink in for me, since I was just happy being around a lot of different people, especially during the time I was in TeniMyu with Hiroki and the others... Whenever Hiroki and I would do our antics during practice... I just... felt something I didn't come to understand until much, _much_ later... Almost half a year later, actually..."

Daisuke smiled. "Hiroki took a lot longer than that," he said. "Though it was obvious, since every time he got home from TeniMyu practice back then he did nothing but ramble about what you did that day, telling us almost nothing of what he did himself." He chuckled at a certain memory. "I remember the day that Hinako asked him if he was in love with you. It must have surprised him because next thing I remember was him standing up and saying something about practicing some lines," he paused. "Though I must admit I was surprised as well."

Shirota's cheeks bore a tint of red once more. The rest of the trip to their designated bus stop was spent in silence before he had stood and took the box with him and disembarked from the bus and started heading off down the ever-familiar sidewalk about a block from their house. Once they had reached the front door, Shirota fished out his keys and unlocked the door before pushing it open, inviting the man in before closing the door. "Please make yourself at home. I've already prepared breakfast on the table, so please help yourself. I'll go and wake up Hiroki if he's still asleep," he announced, setting down the gift on the couch before heading up the stairs two steps at a time to their bedroom.

"It's alright, I'll wait for the both of you," Daisuke said as he sat on one of the couches as Shirota went upstairs. He looked around and spotted two graduation pictures on the wall, one of Shirota and the other of his son. He smiled a bit at the sight. In the middle of the two pictures there was a portrait size picture of the two of them during that special day. He sighed, instead of being happy for his son that day he did nothing but cause the boy more uncertainty and unease. He looked at that picture again and decided that it was about time to remedy the damage he had done.

-break-

Hiroki was putting on a shirt when he heard the front door open; he had noticed that Shirota wasn't around that morning and thought that the other must have gone out for a bit for fresh air. He grinned to himself as he stood just beside the door to surprise Shirota.

"Hiroki!" Shirota called, heading down the hallway that led to their bedroom. "Are you up?" he chimed, slowly opening the door.

Hiroki smirked as he suddenly jumped in front of Shirota, surprising the other boy. He tried to fight down his laughter when he saw Shirota's shocked expression but failed to do so. "S-Sorry, Yuu! But that look was priceless!" he said.

-break-

Hiroki's laughter reached the foot of the stairs where Daisuke was looking at their picture together on a table. He looked up when he heard Hiroki laugh and smiled at the sound of it. "It's been a while since I heard him laugh like that," he said to himself.

-break-

Shirota jumped back in surprise, bringing a hand to his chest as he calmed himself down. "Mou, Hiroki!" he began, but cleared his throat otherwise and pulled Hiroki into an embrace. "Happy birthday!" he greeted, pulling back and placing a kiss on the boy's cheek before shaking him by the arms before letting go of him completely. "Saa, I've got breakfast set downstairs!" he said before turning and headed back down the stairs, nodding to Hiroki's father before disappearing into the kitchen.

Hiroki smiled widely as Shirota greeted him. "Ha~i," he said as he followed the other boy down; he thought that he would feed Tezuka and Fuji while Shirota took care of breakfast. When he reached the foot of the stairs he greeted his father. "Ohayou, tou-san~~" he said before moving inside the kitchen to retrieve the stored food for their pets while his father started a countdown from 10. He stopped. He retraced his steps, walking backwards until he reached the foot of the stairs as soon as Daisuke said "1...0." "TOU-SAN?" he said rather loudly, causing Daisuke to smirk at his son's antics.

"Good morning to you too and happy birthday, Hiroki," he said as he pulled him into an embrace which shocked Hiroki for a full five seconds before embracing his father back.

"You're here! You're actually here!" the younger said as he buried his face on his father's shoulder, feeling tears of happiness well up.

Daisuke smiled as he patted Hiroki on the shoulder. "Yes I am. And you have that husband of yours to thank for this...not that I mind or anything," he said with a chuckle. When Hiroki pulled away he still had a few tears left on his eyes and wiped them on the sleeve of his shirt. Knowing what his son was thinking, Daisuke nodded. "Go. But come back to see what I brought for you."

Hiroki smiled gratefully as he ran into the kitchen and tackled/hugged Shirota. "You wonderful, wonderful idiot! Thank you!" he said.

Shirota had just brought the paper plates down from the cupboard before he turned to return to the living room before he was tackled to the floor as they fell down with a 'thud'. Hiroki was on top of Shirota, clamping him into an embrace as Shirota smiled and returned it. "You're welcome," he replied. "Don't think this is the end of surprises, though... It _is_ your birthday and I've planned a few other things besides having your father come and visit."

Hiroki smiled. "I'll look forward to it!" he said happily as he got off Shirota and helped him up.

Daisuke, who had managed to see the display, chuckled. "I'm surprised that you haven't broken any bones because of Hiroki, Yuu-kun," he said.

"Tou-san!" Hiroki said, turning a bit red.

Daisuke smiled. "Why don't you two come to the living room for a while to see the presents first?" he said.

"He doesn't tackle me to the ground very often, Aiba-san," Shirota replied before following him back to the living room, pulling Hiroki with him.

Hiroki nodded as he followed his father and Shirota to the living room where he was presented two rather large boxes. "What's in it?" he asked.

"Open it to find out," Daisuke said.

Hiroki chose the box that came from his parents first and opened it. "Let me guess...mom managed to get you to buy these," he said slyly as he pulled out two pairs of teddy bears, one pair was joined by the hand and the other pair was joined in such a way that they looked like they were kissing. What the bears had in similar, though, was that one of each pair had a red sweater that had "Hiro" sewn on it while the other had "Yuu".

Hiroki then moved to the next box after thanking his father who simply nodded at him. When he opened the box he immediately turned red before shutting it close. "Nee-san…I should have anticipated this..." he said.

Daisuke grinned. "I thought it was a good idea," he said.

Shirota was fawning over the teddy bears before he turned to Hiroki when he was opening the second box. He raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"N-nothing!" Hiroki said quickly as he grabbed the hands of the two men. "Come on! Let's have breakfast!" he said with a smile.

Daisuke grinned. "You'll find out soon enough what was in the box," he said quietly so that only Shirota would hear.

Shirota furrowed his brow at the thought but decided to wait. He would find that out sooner or later as they were pulled to the dining table. _'Probably when everybody leaves... I can show you_ my _gift...'_ he told himself as they had breakfast.

-break-

After breakfast, Hiroki and Shirota were in the living room while Daisuke left no room for argument when he volunteered to wash the dishes.

Aiba now had Tezuka and Fuji out of their cage, Tezuka running round while Fuji was settled contently on Hiroki's hand.

"WILL YOU STAY STILL?" Shirota bellowed. He was on all fours, chasing after Tezuka as fast as he could manage along the carpeted floor.

Tezuka managed to run under the couch again before darting out to Hiroki's waiting hand (the one not holding Fuji). Aiba chuckled. "He's just happy to be out and not looking after Fuji for a while," he said as he stroked Tezuka who was now nuzzling Fuji. "Fuji's getting really big..." he observed as he watched the two guinea pigs that were now on his lap. Shirota, short of breath, moved to the couch.

"You named those two after your characters?" Daisuke asked in amusement as he joined them, sitting on one of the available chairs.

Hiroki nodded. "Their color reminded me of the two and I thought that it would be fitting," he explained. Daisuke nodded in understanding as he watched the two pairs, both human and not.

"Say so earlier so I don't have to waste unnecessary energy!" Shirota huffed in a childish tantrum as he pulled himself to sit down beside Hiroki.

"But you were so cute, running after Tezuka like that," Hiroki said with a grin as Tezuka moved to scurry up Shirota's shoulder.

Shirota was panting slowly and cringed when Tezuka moved to nuzzle him at the neck. "Not there, Tezuka!" he said briefly after letting out a sign of laughter. The guinea pig continued relentlessly, causing Shirota to laugh uncontrollably, falling onto his side on the couch. "Stop it!" he pleaded.

Hiroki grinned at the sight of Shirota being so carefree. Daisuke smiled as well as he reached out a hand to which Tezuka scurried up to. Hiroki observed the two as they interacted. Tezuka, to Hiroki's surprise, just moved on to Daisuke's shoulder and stopped there, lying contently.

Shirota was panting again, his laughs finally dying down. "Thank you..." he said, just out of breath as he nodded to Hiroki's father. "Tezuka will surely be the death of me, Hiroki," he concluded.

Hiroki chuckled. "He'll settle down once Fuji gives birth..." he said. "...even though that sounded so wrong in my mind..." he added slowly.

Shirota burst out laughing once again. "That's true. Maybe that's one thing we have in common..." he said, looking over to Tezuka, who was nuzzling Daisuke's neck. "He wants to enjoy himself before he takes on the responsibilities he needs to commit to with Fuji," he explained.

Hiroki nodded. "So am I right in assuming that you also had your fun way back when?" he asked slyly. Daisuke chuckled; the sight reminded him of some scenes with him and his wife.

Shirota turned to Aiba and nodded. "Of course I did!" he said defiantly as he lounged an arm over the younger boy's shoulders. "I expect you watched most of the SeraMyu musicals I was in?" he inquired.

Hiroki frowned. "SeraMyu?" he repeated. "The one wherein almost more than half of the cast were females, making it look like your personal harem when you were Tuxedo Mask?" he said.

Daisuke noticed the aura that his son was emitting and remembered that Hiroki wasn't exactly a fan of that musical and only watched it when Shirota was actually there when they were young. So...he decided to save Shirota. "That was the musical that you first saw Shirota, right?" he asked. "I remember you coming home from it, babbling nonstop "Shirota-kun was so awesome!", or something like that," he said, making the younger Aiba blush.

"Er...I did that, didn't I?" Hiroki said with an embarrassed smile.

Shirota somehow noticed the sudden change in Hiroki before retracting his arm and began pressing his index fingers together again. "If it's a touchy subject with concerns to who I was with during that time, we don't have to talk about it..." he said.

Hiroki shook his head. "No it's okay. Past is past, anyway," he said as he placed a hand on Shirota's shoulder. "At least now I'm sure that you're going to be stuck with me for the rest of your life," he added.

Shirota glared for a moment over to Hiroki. "Just so you know, there was no one in that cast that caught my interest. I was too young for that," he said under his breath before grinning. "But yeah, there was this one particular scene at the start of one musical when I was pulling off a tantrum about a bike," he said conversationally.

Hiroki grinned. "I know. I watched that musical; even got front row position," he said.

"When I was doing those types of scenes on-stage, I found a side of myself that I was always eager to let out," Shirota said fondly.

-break-

"Eiji!" Kimeru called out from downstairs. "I can't find our gift for Aiba!" he said as he looked around the living room.

Takigawa was looking around the bedroom and saw the present under their bed. He reached out for it and pulled it out, dusting it off before heading out of the room. "I found it under the bed. Pearl must've placed it there when we were getting ready..."

Kimeru ran upstairs and sighed in relief when he saw the gift. "Good...that thing was hard to find..." he said.

"It took us a whole week just to find the right one..." Takigawa said with a sigh.

Kimeru nodded. "Yeah, but it's a good thing. Now I also have my own!" he said happily as he gestured to an item by the drawers.

Takigawa smirked before checking the time. "Shirota's asked me to help him with cooking lunch today. So we should probably be going, Kime-kun," he explained before holding out the keys to him.

Kimeru grinned as he took the keys. "We'll be there in five minutes, tops," he said as he pulled Takigawa outside, closing and locking the door as they left.

"What did I-" Takigawa's words were cut off when he was pulled outside.

Kimeru's grin turned into a smirk as soon as he started the car. "Ready, Eiji?" he asked.

Takigawa, after checking his seatbelt, nodded.

-break-

Hiroki smiled. "I actually have that certain musical on DVD."

"Which has been abused to the point of no return," Daisuke added.

Shirota checked the time. "Well, we have to get the house ready!" he declared as he got to his feet. "We've got guests arriving soon. I'll go and get started on lunch~!" He grinned and headed towards the kitchen.

"Guests?" Hiroki asked as he looked at Shirota. "Who else is coming?" he asked as he stood up to follow him. "I'll be back!" he told his father as he moved to catch up to the other boy.

Daisuke looked at the two for a moment and smiled. _'I'm sure I did not make a mistake this time around…Shirota Yuu, I'm now more assured that my son will be taken care of. I leave him in your capable hands,'_ he thought. He stood up to follow the two. "I'm afraid I have to go," he started. "But I'll be back in the afternoon. We're going to take you both out for dinner, so please be ready by around 5," he said with a smile.

Shirota turned to the entrance of the kitchen where Hiroki had appeared, later followed by his father, who announced that they were going to be treated to dinner that night. Shirota gave the man a bow. "Thank you for the offer. We'll be ready by then," he replied.

"I'll escort you out, tou-san!" Hiroki said and Daisuke nodded.

"I'll see you later Yuu-kun," Daisuke said as he walked away with Hiroki. "Oh yes..." Daisuke suddenly said as he paused by the door. "Yuu-kun, feel free to call me 'tou-san' or 'father' as well...welcome to the family," he added. Hiroki stood still for two whole seconds before smiling widely. Daisuke nodded at his son one last time before leaving the place. Shirota blushed before nodding, bowing once again to Hiroki's father.

"Yuu!" Hiroki said as soon as his father left. He immediately went to Shirota and hugged him for the nth time that morning. "Isn't this great?"

Shirota was treated once more to another hug from his lover before smiling fondly to himself. "I promise it'll become one of the greatest celebrations you'll ever have," he whispered, returning the embrace.

Hiroki smiled. "I'll be looking forward to it then," he said. "I still can't believe that father said that. I thought that he'd never accept us," he admitted.

Shirota pulled back. "Truthfully, I thought so, too..." Shirota confessed as he furrowed his brows. "Well anyway, there was something I wanted to give you in advance. Call it the first part of my gift for you," he said, rummaging in his pocket and pulled out two cell phone accessories, holding them out to Hiroki. One was of Tezuka, and the other was of Fuji, both of whom were crafted in their chibi versions as Shirota grinned.

Hiroki smiled when he saw the chibi versions. "Kawaii~~" he said as he took them; he thought for a moment before reaching into Shirota's pocket to take the boy's phone and attached the Fuji to it. "There!" he said happily as he attached the Tezuka to his own phone and showed it to Shirota.

Shirota took his phone and grinned. "I figured you'd be doing this," he admitted with a chuckle.

-break-

Kimeru brought out a pair of shades and drove the car to the Shirota residence, and staying true to his word they arrived there in less than five minutes.

Takigawa unbuckled the seatbelt and patted Kimeru on the shoulder. "I'm happy to report that you've improved yourself by at least 40%," he teased. "You didn't hit anything at all on the way over here," he added before getting out of the car.

-break-

Hiroki grinned, as he was going to say something he heard a car screech to a halt just outside their house. "...let me guess...Kime-nii..." he said as he heard a car door open and close followed by the sound of their doorbell. He ran to the door and opened it, revealing Kimeru and Takigawa.

Shirota turned to the front door and watched as Hiroki ran to open it. He turned and went to wash his hands.

"Happy Birthday!" Kimeru greeted as he gave Hiroki their gift.

"Can I open it?" Hiroki asked as he stepped aside to let the two in.

"Happy birthday," Takigawa greeted before stepping inside, heading straight for the kitchen. "You and Kime-kun fawn over that gift of yours, Aibacchin. Shirotan and I will be making lunch," he said, patting the birthday celebrant on the shoulder as he passed him.

Hiroki nodded as Kimeru pulled him to the couch. "Go on..." Kimeru said as Hiroki opened his gift.

Hiroki's eyes widened as he saw what it was. "Kime-nii! I've been planning to get one of these ever since Minami's hard head broke my previous one!" he exclaimed. "Thank you!" he said as he hugged Kimeru who chuckled and hugged him as well.

"Not only that…" Kimeru said as he pulled away and opened his bag. "I have something similar," he said as he showed his own hair iron in its purple and portable glory.

-break-

Shirota was just wiping his hands dry before Takigawa stepped into the kitchen. The younger boy gave him a nod. "Thank you for coming by this early, Takigawa-senpai," he said.

Takigawa waved a hand in front of him as he went to the sink to wash his own hands. "Don't mention it. Besides, I owe you a lot. Heck, I almost consider you a little brother I seem to need to look after..." he said conversationally. Shirota moved to put on an apron, deciding whether he should dwell on that thought a bit more. Takigawa noticed the silence from the younger boy before he wiped his hands clean. Patting Shirota on the shoulder, he took the extra apron and put it on. "What's wrong?"

Shirota snapped out of his thoughts. "Gomen, Eiji-nii!" he apologized. After realizing what he had just called Takigawa, a faint blush appeared on his cheeks as he turned and moved to the refrigerator, quickly changing the subject. "Saa! Let's get started on lunch!" he said distractedly.

_'Eiji-nii...?'_ Takigawa thought before chuckling. _'Well, well... What do you know...'_ he told himself, shaking his head before moving to get a few things from the cupboard overhead.

-break-

Hiroki and Kimeru were busy admiring their new "equipment" when Hiroki remembered something. "Ah~ Kime-nii!" Aiba said as he stood up and took the two guinea pigs from their cage. "Meet Tezuka and Fuji!" he said as he handed the two to a smiling Kimeru. "Please be careful with Fuji, she's currently pregnant."

That comment made Kimeru freeze. "Fuji's what?" he asked as he stared at Fuji. "...Wow...that sort of...sounds...wrong..." he said. "Your cat doesn't bother them?" he asked.

Hiroki looked down sadly. "Minki is gone...Shiozawa's dog..." he trailed off.

"Aww… I'm sorry Hirohiro..." Kimeru said.

"What did you call me?" Hiroki asked with a small glare.

"Hirohiro," Kimeru said with a grin.

-break-

There wasn't much more conversation that was exchanged between the two Tezuka actors as they got to work preparing lunch. Both were bustling around the kitchen, making trips from one end to the other to retrieve a spice or a utensil.

"Where do you keep your grater?" Takigawa inquired.

Shirota moved to a drawer and rummaged through it for a minute before handing it out. "Kore, Taki-senpai," he said.

Takigawa took it and moved to wash it in the sink before he used it for the radish. "Oh? What happened to 'Eiji-nii'?" he teased.

Shirota blushed. "It was inappropriate... I'm sorry if I called you that without-" he began, only to be cut off by Takigawa, who was chuckling.

"It's fine, Shiropon. I wouldn't mind it at all if you called me 'Eiji-nii'," Takigawa explained.

Shirota nodded to himself before he turned from the pasta sauce he was making. "'Shiropon?'" he repeated.

Takigawa just burst out laughing.

-break-

"Ne, Hiro...you _do_ know that guinea pigs give birth to more than one offspring…" Kimeru said.

Hiroki blinked. "Er...no..." he admitted. "I'm going to have Fuji neutered after this batch..." he muttered.

Kimeru chuckled as he felt Fuji settle on his shoulder while Tezuka scurried around again. "Lively thing, isn't he?" he said. Hiroki nodded as he saw Tezuka dart into the kitchen. Kimeru and Hiroki looked at one another before jumping to their feet, Kimeru taking Fuji from his shoulder as he did so.

"Tezuka!" they both exclaimed as they dashed to the kitchen.

-break-

Takigawa was about to transfer the grated radish to the main dish, moving to the counter. Shirota was busy checking the oven for his Chicken Pasta before they heard a scream from the living room.

Both Takigawa and Shirota looked at one another before turning to the door to find Hiroki and Kimeru - the latter with Fuji in his hands.

"Did we miss something?" Takigawa asked before Shirota suddenly burst out laughing, bringing a hand behind him as he reached into his shirt and pulled Tezuka out.

"What are you doing running into my shirt like that?" Shirota asked, straightening up before handing the guinea pig over to Hiroki.

Hiroki took Tezuka and the guinea pig ran up his shoulder. "Tezuka just went running, I guess he knows that there were other Tezuka's here," he said with a chuckle.

Kimeru nodded. "We'll be going back to the living room, sorry for the bother!" he said as he and Hiroki went back out. They put the two back into the cage and proceeded to sit back on the couch.

-break-

"You alright?" Takigawa asked as he noticed Shirota shudder before returning to watching the oven.

"It's fine, Eiji-nii. I still haven't gotten used to Tezuka doing that, though..." Shirota admitted before slipping on some oven mitts and opened the oven, retrieving his dish from it and set it on a cooling mat on the counter. "Chicken pasta's done!" he announced.

Takigawa surveyed it and smirked. "That looks delicious," he complimented.

-break-

"With those two in the kitchen chances are we're going to have a five-star lunch," Kimeru said.

Hiroki nodded. "Hai~ they're both great cooks," he said.

Kimeru then looked up at the portrait on the wall. "You two certainly look good together," he complimented.

Hiroki smiled. "Arigato...demo...Kime-nii...I don't think I've ever seen your picture with Takigawa-senpai during your own ceremony...even if I was there during the event itself," he said.

Kimeru looked at him. "You didn't see it? It was in the bedroom."

Hiroki blinked. "It was?"

-break-

It wasn't long before Takigawa had finished the Tuna salad with a final mix of radish and the Braised Lamb shanks with yellow curry.

Shirota peered at the dishes after he had transferred his pasta to a serving bowl. "Wow."

Takigawa chuckled. "That's all you can say?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Shirota shook his head. "I just... I'm intrigued..."

"Is that right?" Takigawa plowed on as he took his dishes as he headed to the dining room. Shirota had followed.

-break-

Hiroki and Kimeru looked up when Takigawa and Shirota came into view. "Wow..." was all that the two could say when they saw the food.

Kimeru grinned. "You were right about the five-star food, Kime-nii," Hiroki said. "But...why the large amount?" he asked.

Shirota grinned before the doorbell rang, as if waiting for the cue. "That's because I invited a few other people for lunch today," he explained as he jogged to the door and opened it, revealing the rest of the Seigaku second cast who had arrived first.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AIBACCHIN!" they greeted in perfect synchronization. Hiroki's eyes widened as he saw the second cast enter. "I think he froze!" Zukki said in amusement.

"Everyone!" Hiroki exclaimed as he threw his arms around the people nearest to him, which were Zukki and Adachi.

"Don't forget us!" a voice said from the door.

"Cool~ Hyoutei!" Adachi said as he looked over his shoulder.

Shirota smiled. "These are the times I'm happy to be holding reunions of sorts for TeniMyu," he stated before a knock on the still-open door caught his attention.

"You wouldn't be forgetting about us, are you?" Moriyama called, grinning as arrived with the rest of the Seigaku first cast.

"Ah, Takigawa-kun! Kimeru-kun!" Nagayan chimed, entering with Tuti in tow.

Shirota turned to see Sota and Gomoto as the younger boy flashed a grin to the first Inui actor. Hiroki looked at the three casts inside their house, silently thanking whatever god was listening that their place was big enough.

Kimeru grinned. "So, Hirohiro...what do you think?" he asked as the room fell silent. All attention was on the youngest Fuji actor.

Hiroki turned a bit red in embarrassment. "I think...this is going to be the best birthday I ever had!" he said with a smile, and everyone cheered.

"Let's get this party going!" Ruito and Takuya yelled as they found the stereo and played some music.

-break-

Everybody had placed their gifts by the foot of the stairs before there were conversations that were started, while others immediately proceeded to the dining area to grab some of Takigawa and Shirota's cooking. It wasn't long before Ueshima-sensei had arrived to join in the celebrations, offering a cake to Hiroki that Shirota had conveniently placed in the refrigerator for later.

It was around 2 in the afternoon when everybody was satisfied with their meals, feasted on the cake and was now lounging around the spacious living room before Shirota had called their attention after turning the volume of the music down to a minimum.

"I'd like to thank everybody for coming to celebrate Aibacchin's birthday today, and for that, we'd like to direct our attention to the big mound of presents awaiting our birthday celebrant!" Shirota announced before grinning over to Hiroki. "Dozo."

Hiroki grinned as he nodded at Shirota. He looked at the presents before he picked a small package that came from TAKUYA. "What's this?" he said as he opened the gift. It turned out to be a DVD from their BRIGHTS days, which held most of their memories as a group that was just beginning. After opening the rest of the gifts and thanking each of them as he showed the contents (though there was a certain gift from Naoya that he chose not to show the others) to the rest, he smiled. "I think that's all of it," he said.

Kimeru grinned. "Oh I don't know...I believe there's still someone who didn't give his gift, don't you agree, Shirotan?" he said.

Shirota was leaning on the door frame that lead to the laundry room with his arms crossed as he observed Hiroki opening his presents from a safe distance. He turned to Kimeru before smirking. "Aa. The second part of my gift for Aibacchin..." he said before unfolding his arms and disappeared into the laundry room for a few moments.

"Second? What was the first, then?" Kaji asked, looking around.

"How should we know?" Kujirai answered with a shrug.

"AAH!" Adachi exclaimed, jumping back in surprise when he saw something drop to the floor from the laundry room.

Shirota retrieved the fallen object and placed it against the wall before returning to full view of the others.

Takigawa, who was nearby, raised an eyebrow upon catching a glimpse of the object that had fallen. _'Was that... what I think it was...?'_ he thought to himself.

"My present... I'm afraid... can only be used on certain occasions," Shirota began. "I myself may not know how to use them, but..." he reached out into the room and pulled out a pair of brand new skis. "Enjoy them all the same, Hiroki."

Hiroki looked at the skis with wide eyes. "Yuu..." he managed to say as he approached his gift and ran a hand down it, smiling as he looked at them.

Kimeru grinned. "Aw come on Hiro…aren't you going to thank him?" he asked slyly.

Takumi covered Ruito's eyes with his hand, much to the dismay of the Gakuto actor. Hiroki nodded once before approaching Shirota. "When will you ever cease to amaze me?" he said as he wrapped his arms around Shirota's waist. "Thank you..." he said as he kissed him.

"Probably never," Shirota teased before taking Hiroki's lips once more in a chaste kiss. Loud cheers erupted from the group as Shirota kissed Hiroki again.

Takigawa nodded. _'I thought as much. Seems now we have some reason to head out to the mountains when winter arrives...'_ Takigawa said to himself with an inward grin.

Kimeru chuckled. "Ah~ the powers of the TezukaxFuji couples..." he said as he looked at Shirota and Hiroki and at Tezuka and Fuji that were huddled in a corner of their cage. Takigawa strode over to Kimeru, lounging an arm over the man's shoulders, kissing him on the temple.

Shirota nodded to Hiroki one last time before nodding to Sota. Sota stood from his place beside Gomoto and nodded to Shirota. "Saa, let's have a Karaoke contest!"

"Ah! He's doing it again!" Nagayan complained. "Just like from Dream Live 1st!"

"True, but this time, I really mean it," Sota explained calmly.

"Saa...what shall we sing?" Kimeru wondered as he looked around the room. "Duets... Solos... hmmm…" Endo, the one closest to him, backed away as he noticed the Fuji aura starting to emit from Kimeru.

Sota tossed the mic over to Takigawa, who caught it with ease. "Actually, I would like to request a duet. From the two of you," Sota began, nodding to Takigawa and Kimeru.

"Not that we've had any during our time in TeniMyu... So what-" Takigawa began.

Tuti wagged his fingers. "There was. Only you weren't around at the time to perform it with Kimeru," he explained.

Nagayan raised his eyebrows in realization. "Sou ka! It was that _**'Dream Maker'**_ song!"

Kimeru grinned. "Oh...that one," he said as he took the other mic that Nagayan handed to him.

Hiroki smiled. "I'd like to hear the original version as well!" he said.

"But I don't know the words..." Takigawa reasoned.

"Hai!" Araki chimed, handing out a printed copy of the lyrics. "I'm assuming you know how the song goes at least, Takigawa-senpai?"

Takigawa took the paper and nodded hesitantly to Araki. "But still..."

Shirota came over and patted Takigawa on the shoulder. "It's alright, Eiji-nii! Do your best!" he cheered.

Hiroki grinned at Shirota. "Eiji-nii?" he asked.

Kimeru chuckled. "About time..." he said as Gomoto punched in the code for the song.

"W...Wait a minute..." Takigawa started off again before the music started playing. With a little shove from Shirota, Takigawa nearly collided with Kimeru before he found his balance and began singing; awkwardly at first before he slowly got into the song.

_"Nemure wakaki shishi-tachi yo__  
__Mukidashi no kiba wo osamete__  
__Yasuragi no toki wa ima dake__  
__Nakama no neiki Iyashi no yasuragi__  
__Soshite Mabataki hodo no setsuna ni__  
__Arata na risou Tsumugidashiteiru__  
__Kimi wa DREAM MAKER..."  
_

He hummed the last bit before turning to Kimeru.

Kimeru chuckled as Takigawa sang. "You're not so bad," he said as he continued the song.

_"Nemure yume wo miru tame ni__  
__Chibashitta hitomi fuujite__  
__Ochitsuita kodou kazoete__  
__Tsugi no shiai e Sou COUNTDOWN"  
_

Takigawa smirked before they sang the last verse together.

_"Soshite hirameki matoi mezameru__  
__Arata na risou Jitsugen suru tame ni__  
__Kimi wa DREAM MAKER__  
__Kimi wa DREAM MAKER"_

When the song died down, a round of applause broke out among the group.

Shirota took the mic from Takigawa and handed it back to Sota. "Saa, Aoyama-senpai! Since you've always wanted to do a solo... How about trying Araki's _**'Data wa Uso o Tsukanai'**_ song?" he suggested.

Sota blinked. "Really?" he asked as he looked around where the rest of the Seigaku cast nodded at him and/or grinned.

"Dozo..." Kenken said as he entered the code before the song started.

-break-

After Sota sang, there were requests for Tuti to do _**'Depend on Me'**_, as well as KenKen and Koji to do _**'Good Combination'**_ and Shirota and Kazuki to do _**'Ikkiuchi'**_. The clock had struck 3:30pm when everybody started leaving. At 3:55, Takigawa and Kimeru were the last to depart.

"Thanks for coming!" Shirota said as he watched Takigawa and Kimeru get into their car with Hiroki alongside him at the front door.

"We'll see you two again soon. Enjoy the rest of the day, Aibacchin! Shiropon!" Takigawa called before getting into the passenger's seat after letting Kimeru drive home.

Kimeru nodded. "Don't throw the hair iron around again, Shirotan~~" he said as he got into the driver's side and drove away with one last wave at the two.

Hiroki smiled and waved back. When the car had disappeared around a corner he looked at his watch. "We have two hours to get ready," he said. "Tou-san will pick us up by five." He then looked at Shirota. "Ready for it?" he asked.

Shirota waved to their senpais before turning to Hiroki, nodding in reply as he turned and headed back into the house. "Aa." _'At least... I hope so...'_

Hiroki smiled. "Don't worry, Yuu...I'm sure everything will be fine," he said as he closed the door behind him.

Shirota gave Hiroki a forced smile before moving to clean up the mess of the living and dining areas.

Hiroki noticed the unease that Shirota emitted but didn't say anything. "I'll help you," he offered as he joined Shirota in cleaning up. "You're worried, aren't you?" he asked after a few minutes of silence.

Shirota paused from picking up a few paper plates on the stairs as he turned to Hiroki. "Just a bit..." he replied before reaching out to grab the trash and chucked it into the garbage bag he held in one hand before moving on to another part of the room.

Hiroki sighed as he threw the last of the mess in the dining room in the trash bag. "It'll be fine...after all you already met them during the ceremony,'" he said.

"True, but I still feel uncomfortable somehow..." Shirota said, tying off the mouth of the trash bag and moved to place it in the trash can outside. He paused as he pulled the door open and turned to Hiroki with a grin. "I'll try not to look too goofy in front of your family," he said before taking out the trash.

Hiroki watched Shirota leave for a while to take out the trash. As soon as the older boy returned, he shook his head. "You don't need to do that…after all, that's the Shirota I had been telling them about. Just be yourself and everything will be fine," he said as he kissed Shirota on the cheek.

Shirota smiled. "You'll have to remind me every now and then. I might just forget and just stop talking altogether," he joked half-heartedly.

Hiroki sighed. "Oi...Shirota Yuu…everything is going to be fine..." he said. He then glanced at the clock above the TV and noticed that they still had some time. "Let's see if I can knock some of that tension off you..." he said as he pushed Shirota on the couch and kissed him.

"Hi-" Shirota was cut off when he was pushed onto the couch before their lips connected in a kiss. Giving in to it, Shirota returned the kiss, softly moaning with pleasure.

Hiroki smirked when he noticed Shirota give in. His hands explored Shirota's body, taking full advantage of their position.

Shirota took hold of Hiroki's wrists after a while, causing the younger boy to pull back for a moment. Shirota smirked. "Enjoying yourself up there?" he teased.

Hiroki chuckled. "Of course I am," he said with a grin. "So has my plan worked?" he asked as he smiled at Shirota.

Shirota nodded. "I would have to say so," he admitted. It was true, though; just being with Aiba like this had made Shirota more comfortable with himself, therefore made no room for any other emotion other than love and happiness.

Hiroki smiled. "Good! Now let's go get ready," he said as he pulled Shirota to his feet and led him upstairs.

Shirota stumbled when he was pulled to his feet and pulled upstairs. "All I ask is you let me fix my own hair this time," he requested, remembering how Hiroki was fussing over his hair with one of the younger boy's many hair irons. Not that Shirota didn't mind, but he wanted to be in charge of styling his own hair every once in a while.

Hiroki chuckled. "No problem, Yuu," he answered with a smile.

Shirota grinned in triumph as they reached their bedroom. He was the first to claim the bathroom as he sped inside, locking the door behind him and taking a much deserved shower to prepare for tonight.

Hiroki blinked when Shirota rushed into the bathroom. "Oh well...at least I have more time to pick out…" he said as he walked over to his hair iron closet. "...what to use for tonight..." he said. He then looked at the purple hair iron that he picked up as they went upstairs. "…or maybe I could give you a shot."

-break-

Takigawa and Kimeru had arrived back at their house. Takigawa moved to open the front door for them. "Na, Kimeru..." he began, turning the key and opening the door sequentially as he walked inside.

"What is it Eiji?" Kimeru asked as he stepped in the house and removed his shoes, putting them on the rack.

Takigawa took off his shoes with great care before closing the door behind him. "I had a talk with Moriyama-kun earlier. I asked if we could stay at his rest house in Hokkaido when the holidays arrive," he stated, setting his shoes in the closet rack as well before moving to the couch.

"And what did Moriyama say?" Kimeru asked as he sat beside Takigawa.

"He was glad someone was interested in using it. He hasn't been there for a while, but he's always open to renting it out to his friends," Takigawa replied. "So I thought we'd spend our winter holidays there in the mountains for a change. Then I could teach you how to ski," he added with a chuckle.

Kimeru grinned. "That would be a good idea," he said. "And maybe we could bring Hirohiro and Shirota with us," he said.

"As long as they don't have any plans yet… why not?" Takigawa said, pecking Kimeru on the cheek with a kiss.

Kimeru nodded, "I hope so too, after all, it would be interesting to see you and Aiba ski," he said.

"That would give Aibacchin and me the opportunity to teach you and Shiropon how to ski as well, you know," Takigawa reminded him.

Kimeru paled. "You mean that you're going to make me fall off a hill?" he asked.

Takigawa burst out laughing. "Of course not! We'll think of some way to teach you and Shiropon how to ski without endangering your lives in the process," he reassured him.

Kimeru frowned, "As long as you won't push me off a cliff then it's fine with me."

Takigawa got to his feet. "Don't worry. I promise you that I won't," he said as he headed to the stairs. He paused and turned to Kimeru. "Though, if Aiba and Shirota _did_ come with us, I wouldn't be able to guarantee that _they_ wouldn't..." He grinned before heading upstairs.

"Eiji!" Kimeru exclaimed as he got to his feet and ran after the taller man. Takigawa reached the top of the stairs and slipped into the gym room. Kimeru looked around as he reached the second floor. "Where did he go?" he said.

-break-

After about 20 minutes, Shirota emerged from the bathroom as he dried his hair out with a towel and headed into the bedroom to pick out his clothes for tonight. "Bathroom's all yours, Hiroki!" he called out as he pulled open the closet doors.

Hiroki nodded as he headed to the bathroom for a shower, coming out moments later with a towel wrapped around his waist. "Sorry about that, I forgot my clothes."

Shirota chuckled after pulling some clothes from the closet and moved to a discreet place to slip them on. He returned to the bedroom moments later and proceeded to fix his hair up for tonight. '_That should do it,'_ he said contentedly to himself as he stood and headed downstairs, waiting for Aiba to come down as well.

-break-

Takigawa and Kimeru inadvertently spent the afternoon running away from one another - with Kimeru finally catching up to Takigawa in the backyard - before they settled down to dinner prepared by Takigawa.

-break-

The dinner was, in Aiba's point of view, the most fulfilling even in his life. After all...it wasn't often that you would see the people most important to you together and talking happily. Shirota even managed to make his father laugh at one point in time.

+++November 1, 2006+++  
(Aiba shall be called as such again)

A month had passed since then and it was already the day before their anniversary. Aiba was sitting on the couch, laptop in front of him as he tried to think of something to do for their anniversary.

-break-

"What do you think?" Takigawa asked Kimeru as he led the younger man outside to the driveway where a second car that was silver in color was parked alongside their own car. It was practically brand new. Takigawa had purchased it a few days ago for Shirota and Aiba's anniversary tomorrow.

Kimeru nodded in approval. "It's perfect," he said with a smile. "Hirohiro and Shiropon will love this."

-break-

Shirota was upstairs on the phone making a restaurant reservation. It had been a while since he had taken Aiba out for Monjyayaki, and he wanted tomorrow to be special.

-break-

Takigawa smiled. "I thought so," he said with approval. It was already November and the snow had already started to fall. He saw the bed of white grace their lawn before he returned inside, rubbing his hands together to warm them up. Kimeru followed Takigawa and immediately glomped him when they got inside. Takigawa stumbled forward at the sudden glomp. "So..." he began, turning over his shoulder to Kimeru. "Was there anything else we've forgotten to prepare for tomorrow?"

Kimeru shook his head, not moving to get off Takigawa's back. "Nothing in particular," he said.

Takigawa nodded. "Alright, then… Since we don't have much more to plan for, what do you want to do?" he asked.

Kimeru thought for a moment as he rested his chin on Takigawa's shoulder. "I don't know...what do you want to do?" he asked.

Takigawa smirked and carried Kimeru towards the door, grabbing his car keys along the way. "Let's go out. I haven't watched a movie in _ages_," he emphasized as he took his snow boots from the rack and slipped them on. Kimeru grinned as he got off Takigawa's back to put on his own boots.

-break-

Aiba clicked away as he surfed the net. Shirota had gotten off the phone before heading downstairs. "HIROKI!" he called, plopping onto the couch beside him. "Guess what I've got planned for tomorrow!" he started eagerly.

Aiba shut his laptop quickly as Shirota joined him. "What is it?" he asked.

"When was the last time you've had Monjyayaki?" Shirota asked cheerfully.

Aiba thought for a moment. "That would be before we met each other..." He frowned slightly at the thought.

Shirota grinned. "Then tomorrow is your lucky day. I've made some calls and made reservations tomorrow. We can have Monjyayaki and even yakiniku tomorrow night," he explained.

Aiba's eyes shined with mirth. "Really? That's great!" he said as he hugged Shirota after placing his laptop safely on the side table. The scuttling from a certain cage caught his attention. He looked at their pets and chuckled. "Momo and Echizen are at it again..." he said.

Shirota grinned. "I thought you'd like that," he said before following Aiba's gaze to the cage. He chuckled. "Kunisuke must be getting a headache just from watching," he teased. "Look, he's staying close to Fuji," he observed as he stood and approached the cage full of guinea pigs.

"Ah, too bad Tezuka's not helping him," he said with a grin.

+++November 2, 2006+++

The day went on normally; and before they knew it, it was already the next day. Kimeru shook Takigawa that morning at around 6 o'clock. "Come on, sleepy head! We have to get our gift to the kids!" he said as he pulled on Takigawa's arm.

Takigawa was woken abruptly by the pulling of his arm. He took a moment to recollect himself as he looked at his clock on the bedside table before sitting up, rubbing his sleepy eyes. "You woke up early today..." he pointed out after a yawn.

"Of course I did! We have to get over there before Aiba wakes up, don't you remember?" Kimeru said as he continued tugging on Takigawa's arm.

"I'M UP, I'M UP!" Takigawa called. "Can you please stop tugging my arm before I fall off the bed?" he requested, finding himself to have been pulled to the edge of the bed.

Kimeru grinned. "Okay! I'll just cuddle you instead!" he said happily as he went beside Takigawa to cuddle him.

"How are we going to leave if you don't let me get ready?" Takigawa asked, a grin evident on his features.

-break-

Shirota, coincidentally, was awake and making breakfast. _'I'm going to make sure this day is absolutely perfect!'_ he swore to himself as he bustled around the kitchen, doing multiple things at once.

-break-

Aiba was still fast asleep when Shirota went out. The guinea pigs however...were awake much earlier than usual. Momo and Echizen had managed to get out of their cage and scurried over to the kitchen, stopping by the door to look at Shirota.

-break-

Shirota was busy setting the plates for breakfast when he heard a couple of squeaks. He paused and looked around before spotting two guinea pigs at the doorway. He set down his spatula and walked over to them, taking them both into his hands. "How'd you two get out?" Momo and Echizen managed to wriggle away from Shirota's grasp and moved to stay on his shoulders. Shirota watched as the two moved up to his shoulders as he straightened up. "Well, as long as you two don't cause a fuss and do a surprise tickle attack on me, I don't have any complains to you guys staying there," he explained, looking to Momo and Echizen. "Just make sure you don't fall off, and don't eat the food I'm making for Hiroki," he added with a warning tone before returning to the counter to finish off the breakfast plates that were nearly full.

-break-

Kimeru contemplated on this before he latched himself onto Takigawa's arm. "I can help you get ready," he said slyly.

Takigawa got to his feet. "Then I'd expect us to be ready in 4 minutes," he replied and moved to the bathroom, Kimeru in tow.

-break-

Momo and Echizen watched in amazement as Shirota moved around. Luckily, they had inherited their father's talent and managed to stay on Shirota's shoulders.

-break-

Meanwhile, Aiba blinked himself awake. "...why the heck did I wake up at 6:15 in the morning?" he muttered to himself.

Shirota finished breakfast and set them on the table before settling himself down on the couch, heaving a sigh of relief. _'I wonder if he's-'_ Before he managed to finish that thought, however, Shirota burst out in laughter when the two guinea pigs had simultaneously cuddled against Shirota's neck, causing the boy to spread out on the couch, holding his sides. "Stop...it..!" he cried as Momo and Echizen sped away under Shirota's shirt; the constant movement keeping the boy laughing. Momo and Echizen were forced out however, by Fuji who had managed to get out as well. The two scurried out of Shirota's shirt as soon as Fuji made a small sound from the floor.

Aiba, who was still half asleep and wearing nothing but his sweatpants, had just come downstairs and arrived in time to see Momo and Echizen hide themselves under the couch. "Huh?" Aiba muttered sleepily.

-break-

Takigawa and Kimeru did indeed stay true to their time and were ready in 4 minutes. They headed downstairs and brought both cars - Takigawa driving Shirota and Aiba's, Kimeru driving their own - over to Shirota's house.

-break-

Shirota sat up, silently thanking Fuji before he turned to Aiba and pushed himself off the couch and approached him. "Happy anniversary," he greeted quietly, pulling Aiba into an embrace. "Did I wake you?"

Aiba smiled as he returned the embrace. "...early..." he muttered.

"You should've slept in some more..." Shirota replied comfortably. In the few moments of silence, there was a knock at the door. Curious who it was at this early hour, Shirota excused himself and pulled away from Aiba and answered the door. Aiba stood there as he blinked away the sleepiness.

As soon as the door opened Kimeru presented a key in front of Shirota's face. "Hi there, Shiropon!" he greeted with a wide smile.

Shirota took a step back to find Kimeru and Takigawa at the door. A key of some kind was being waved in front of him. "W...What's this?" he fumbled, taking the key.

"It's the key to your new car," Takigawa explained as he gently pushed Kimeru inside the house past Shirota. He turned to the younger boy and patted him on the shoulder. "So you don't have to run 10 blocks to go see Aiba at practices," he teased.

Shirota blushed before holding up the car key in his hand. "E...Eiji-nii..." he began before he fainted on the spot. Takigawa moved forward and managed to break the boy's fall.

Aiba's eyes widened as he saw Shirota faint. "Yuu!" he exclaimed as he ran to Shirota's side.

Kimeru chuckled. "He'll come to in a few moments," he assured the younger Fuji actor.

Takigawa chuckled. "Must've been overwhelmed when we mentioned about the car," he turned to Kimeru. "I told you we should've started with the necklaces," he said, as if blaming Kimeru for Shirota fainting.

Kimeru pouted. "How was I supposed to know that he has fainting tendencies like Hirohiro?" he said.

Aiba was already fanning Shirota. "Yuu..." he said as his eyes brimmed with tears and went squiggly. _/Just a chibi moment for the lulz/_

Shirota eyes fluttered open as he looked around before sitting up. Takigawa smirked and patted Shirota on the back. "There we go," he said as he got to his feet.

Aiba sighed in relief as he saw Shirota open his eyes. "Finally…" he said as he smiled.

Kimeru chuckled. "Kawaii~"

Shirota shook his head and saw that the car key was still in his hand. "Is this... Is this for real?" he piped up, looking up to Takigawa and Kimeru in disbelief.

Takigawa pointed outside. "See for yourself."

Aiba helped Shirota up and placed the three guinea pigs in their cage before looking outside. A silver Porsche was outside their house, parked in their driveway. "No way..." he said as he took a step out, forgetting the fact that he still didn't have a shirt on.

Shirota gaped his mouth at the sight of the car before seeing Aiba heading towards it as he took the younger boy by the wrist. "Oi, throw a shirt on!" he complained. "It's freezing out there," he added before he moved to the nearest closet and grabbed a jacket, handing it out to Aiba.

"Oh sorry, I forgot about that," he said as he put on the jacket that was handed to him.

Kimeru smiled at their reactions. "Why am I not surprised?" he said.

Takigawa lounged an arm over Kimeru's shoulders. "Everybody reacts to a new car, especially if it was a gift from someone," Takigawa explained with a chuckle.

Shirota made one round around the car, awing at a few features it had from the outside before heading back into the house, beaming at Takigawa and Kimeru and bowed low. "Hontou ni arigatou gozaimasu!"

Aiba smiled and bowed as well after he looked at the car. "Hai! Hontou ni arigatou!" he said.

Kimeru smiled. "Aw come now, it's fine," he said.

"We owe you both a lot for helping us out before, anyway," Takigawa replied nonchalantly. "Think of it as our way of saying 'thank you for your help'."

Shirota looked up. "But this is-"

Takigawa waved it off. "Too much, we know. But you deserved it. Besides, now you can spend the money you've been saving up for elsewhere. Like a trip to Hokkaido during the holidays," he said with a grin.

"Hokkaido?" Aiba asked as his eyes widened.

Kimeru nodded. "You and Shiropon over here will be spending the Christmas season with us at Moriyama's place in Hokkaido which we will have all to ourselves," he explained.

"That means we can go skiing!" Aiba exclaimed with a hopeful expression towards Takigawa.

Takigawa nodded. "Of course, we'll be tasked to teach these two how to ski," he teased, gesturing to Kimeru and Shirota.

Shirota didn't know if their anniversary would be getting any better than this. He straightened himself up. _'Takigawa and Kimeru-senpai... We've gone through a lot with them these past few months... Both the good and bad times, we've almost always been there to support one another... Today... today of all days...'_ Shirota had decided. "Would you like to spend today with us? Kimeru-senpai? Eiji-nii?"

"That's right Kime-nii! Why don't you join us for today?" Aiba asked.

Kimeru smiled. "Should we?" he asked hesitantly.

Takigawa looked over to the two younger boys before settling his gaze on Kimeru for a few moments before breaking into a smile. "Why not? It's not as if we had any other plans for today."

Kimeru nodded happily. "Then it's settled then," he said. "But before anything else...Shiropon, who don't you call me Kime-nii as well?" he asked.

Shirota's cheeks were stained with red before he remembered about breakfast. "S...Saa, I need to make more breakfast since there's four of us now!" he said distractedly, bustling past the two men and hurried into the kitchen.

Takigawa laughed. "It might be too early for that. Even Shirota blurted it out when he started calling me 'Eiji-nii'," he explained.

Kimeru chuckled. "It would seem so..." he said as he looked at Aiba who was left when Shirota went to the kitchen. "As for you...you are going to freeze if you don't put anything on...now come," he said as he pulled Aiba upstairs.

Aiba frowned. "Hai...kaa-san."

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

-break-

Takigawa chuckled as he watched the two head upstairs before deciding to check on Shirota in the kitchen. When he passed the dining table, two trays were there with a complete American breakfast - orange juice, French toast, pancakes, eggs and an omelette. He smiled to himself.

"I-te!" Shirota exclaimed, having been burnt by accidentally grabbing hold of the metal pan without an oven mitt.

Takigawa came inside. "What happened?"

Shirota was waving his hand while slipping a mitt into his other. "Nothing, it's fine!"

-break-

As Aiba sat on the bed, Kimeru pulled open their dresser. "Hmm...Let's see..." Kimeru muttered as he looked around.

Aiba looked at him curiously. "What are you looking for, Kime-nii?" he asked.

"Something that would make Shirota thank whatever god is listening that you're his," Kimeru answered slyly. Aiba sweatdropped. "Something simple but utterly...ah here we are," Kimeru said as he pulled out of the tank tops. "Be glad that the two of you have a heater in the house," he said as he threw it to Aiba.

Aiba looked at the piece of clothing in his hands. "But...this is a fit-"

"That's my point...time to show off that body of yours Hirohiro," Kimeru said with a grin.

-break-

Shirota managed to replicate the two breakfasts Takigawa saw at the table and had finished spreading them out on two more trays before bringing them to the dining table. "You've been doing most of the cooking for a while now, haven't you?" Takigawa observed as Shirota nodded.

"H...hai. I usually end up doing breakfast since Aibacchin usually sleeps in. But sometimes it's the other way around," Shirota explained with a light chuckle.

-break-

Aiba went out of the bathroom as he finished his shower, wearing the clothes Kimeru had asked him to. Kimeru hummed in approval. "That should do..." he said. Aiba sighed as he reached for the door knob of his closet. "Ah~ no you don't," Kimeru said. "You're just going to let your hair look like that... natural and no hair iron."

"What?" Aiba exclaimed.

"When was the last time you did NOT use the hair iron in the morning?" Kimeru asked as he crossed his arms. Aiba closed his mouth. "My point exactly."

Aiba nodded. "Then at least let me comb it…" he said.

Kimeru chuckled. "I'll do it," he said. After a while they headed downstairs. "Shiropon~~" Kimeru called out as he reached the foot of the stairs with Aiba in tow.

Takigawa sat himself down at the table with Shirota as they discussed about recipes before Shirota stood upon hearing his name. "What is it Kimer-" he paused as he turned to the stairs, the rest of his words drowning at the sight of Aiba.

Takigawa smirked. "Kimeru... Only _you_ would be able to have Aiba look like he is," he commented.

Shirota was opening and closing his mouth, unable to find the right words before grabbing onto the chair before he stumbled. "Hi...Hiroki..." he began.

Takigawa leaned forward and pushed Shirota towards them. "Just go!"

Shirota faltered a few steps before he caught himself by the banisters and straightened up, a light blush on his cheeks. "You... You look..."

Aiba was blushing furiously when he stepped out of their room and the blush just turned darker when Shirota appeared. "Er..." he started as he saw Shirota approach.

-break-

Kimeru chuckled as he moved away and sat beside Takigawa. "He had the looks and the clothes; he just needed a little push in the right direction," he said with a grin. "Well worth it, don't you think?"

Takigawa nodded in agreement. "This would probably be one reason why I'm constantly reminded of ourselves when we see them. Just... a bit more carefree than I would like to."

Kimeru nodded. "That's why it pays to play around with them every once in a while...Hmmm, now that I think of it...I don't think there has been a day when I haven't used the hair iron yet, is there?" he asked.

Takigawa shook his head. "Not that I recall..."

-break-

Shirota was wondering how to say it before he noticed the hair and forgot about anything else. "YOUR HAIR!" he exclaimed, pointing to it. "It... You didn't use..." He stopped as a big grin spread across his face. "KAKUII!" he beamed, pulling Aiba into an embrace.

Aiba grinned as he hugged Shirota back. "I'm glad you noticed," he said with a chuckle.

Shirota pulled back and grabbed Aiba by the wrist. "Saa, breakfast is on the table!" he began, pulling him towards the dining table before adding, "Your outfit suits you. You should wear things like that more often."

-break-

Kimeru grinned. "Then remind me not to use it tomorrow," he said as he saw Shirota and Aiba join them. Aiba was still blushing as he sat down. "Cheer up, Hirohiro. I told you that Shiropon will love it," Kimeru said.

Shirota sat down enthusiastically. "I do, I do!" he replied before gesturing to breakfast. "Saa, I hope you enjoy your meals!" he said.

Kimeru nodded. "Ittadakimasu~~" he said.

-break-

When breakfast was over, Kimeru had said that he would wash the dishes and left no room for argument as he shooed the three to the living room.

"Is it me or is Kime-nii acting very strange today?" Aiba asked.

Takigawa crossed his arms as he leaned on the couch, his gaze towards the kitchen. "No. He was a bit more jumpy than usual this morning when he woke me up..." Takigawa offered.

Shirota clicked his tongue as he played around with a pen he got from the coffee table. "So, I've got reservations for tonight... What else would you like to do until then, Hiroki?" he asked.

Aiba thought about it for a moment before looking at Shirota. "Nothing in particular... How about you? I'm not the only one who should be enjoying this day," he said with a smile.

Shirota pouted. "But I already made plans for dinner and made breakfast!" he reasoned, looking over to Aiba.

Aiba chuckled. "Yes, I know...so now..." he said as he stood up. "Let me get my own surprise for you," he said as he took out a small package from one of the drawers. "It's a little project I have been doing for some time..." he said.

Inside the package was a CD album which contained video clips and pictures since the start of Shirota's career and by the last 10 minutes of the films were messages from the people he had worked with, including Takigawa and Kimeru... -though Aiba had a very hard time with this one- his family and of course from Aiba himself.

Shirota watched it before tears slowly flowed from his eyes. He had seen clips from his SeraMyu and TeniMyu days, as well as from _Hice Cool_, _Jun Bride_, and the Prince of Tennis movie. As he listened to the messages left to him by his friends, family and co-actors, he forced himself to smile as Aiba was the last to give his message before the CD stopped. He turned to Aiba and nodded. "A...Arigatou, Hiroki... This... This is..."

Takigawa smiled. "Just do it and stop making fillers, Shiropon!" he interjected. Shirota chuckled, breaking into a grin before wiping his eyes and pulled Aiba into another embrace, partnered with a chaste kiss.

Aiba smiled as Shirota kissed him. "I still have another surprise for you, but I'm afraid you have to wait until much later," he said.

It was then when Kimeru joined them. "Yosh, the dishes are done," he said as he sat beside Takigawa.

Shirota shook his head and pulled back. "I don't want to wait until later!" he whined.

Aiba grinned. "I don't think your stomach has any room for it yet, Yuu," he answered. Kimeru chuckled.

"But we're going out for Monjyayaki and yakiniku tonight!" Shirota continued. "Unless..." he paused, pulling back into a thinking position for a few moments.

"It's not too difficult to figure out, Shiropon. Saa, I propose we go out and watch a movie!" Takigawa suggested, rising to his feet.

-break-

Kimeru smiled as they waved goodbye to the two. It was already evening and he had to admit, it was one of the best days he ever had. He felt lucky that Shirota had given him and Takigawa this opportunity to spend one of the most special days of the two with them.

Aiba had managed to pull off his second and last surprise at the right time. The chocolate cake he had skillfully hid in the fridge in the guest room was consumed in no time as soon as it was revealed.

Kimeru chuckled when he remembered the dinner; he was sure that he wouldn't forget the expression of the younger couple anytime soon when he and Takigawa revealed that they were going to pay the bill. He got into the car and sighed. The day couldn't have possibly been any better.

-break-

Shirota and Aiba waved to the older couple before Shirota pulled Aiba into a piggy back and re-entered the house and headed upstairs to their room. "ARIGATOU, HIROKI!" he said brightly, setting Aiba down on the bed before flopping down alongside him. "Today was the best!" he exclaimed.

Aiba smiled, "Yes, today was indeed the best," he said as he kissed Shirota on the cheek and cuddled him. "And I also want to thank you for that, not to mention Kime-nii and Eiji-senpai too," he said. He sighed. "I love you…" he said as he closed his eyes. "...and nothing will ever change that…ever."

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

We look forward to your reviews and possible suggestions. :)


	8. I'll Protect You

**Title:** Anything for You

**Author/Artist:** snooperj & Bloodysamurai

**Series/Pairing(s):** TeniMyu; Mainly Takigawa Eiji x Kimeru & Shirota Yuu x Aiba Hiroki

**Notes:** Here is the 8th chapter entitled **I'll Protect You**. This is the second chapter that focuses on the pair of Shirota and Aiba, put into a more serious perspective as compared to the first. Minami makes another appearance, but this time, we are introduced to another side of him. This chapter runs from November 3 to November 7, 2006.

**ALSO! None of the authors of this roleplay/fanfic own TeniMyu or the actors, but are mere fangirls of the musical series and corresponding actors we write about. Everything that progresses in the story are the creation of our witty imaginations.

* * *

+++November 3, 2006+++

The next morning, Aiba managed to get up earlier than Shirota and make breakfast for the both of them. Other than that, the morning was pretty normal. It was past noon when a knock was heard from the front door. Aiba was currently in the backyard, looking for Momo who had rushed out a few moments before. He spotted the little critter under one of the bushes and reached under it. "Yuu! Can you please get the door?" he called out.

"Hai~" Shirota called, setting his guitar down on its stand before moving to answer the door. "Who is-" Shirota paused, seeing his former SeraMyu co-star Kuroki Marina, who took on the role of Sailor Moon during his time as Tuxedo Kamen at their doorstep. "M...Marina-chan?"

"Shiro-kun!" Marina exclaimed happily as she immediately embraced the actor. "It's been a long time since we saw each other!" she said.

Aiba, who just came in with Momo on his shoulder, saw this. He clenched his palms into fists when he saw this. "I see we have a guest," he said with a slight edge in his voice.

Marina pulled away a bit to look at Aiba. "A-re? Is he your brother?" she asked.

Shirota turned to Aiba, lightly shaking his head as if to say he wasn't expecting this when he turned his attention back to Marina upon the mention of the term 'brother'. "B…Brother? Well, actually..."

"You didn't tell me you had a kawaii little brother~" Marina chirped.

_'What the heck?'_ Aiba thought as he felt his eye twitch in irritation. "I'm-"

"Ne ne anyway~ Shiro-kun, we have a Seramyu reunion! Everyone expects you to come!" Marina interjected, cutting off whatever Aiba was going to say.

Aiba frowned. _'Rude...'_ he thought as he placed Momo back in the cage.

"I'm sure everyone misses you...I know I did..." Marina said as he placed her arms around Shirota's neck.

_'That little bitch!'_ Aiba thought as he felt his anger flare up.

Shirota, feeling uncomfortable with this, quickly took Marina's arms and pulled them apart, lowering them before he turned to Aiba. "I don't know... It's so sudden, after all..."

Aiba was currently having an inner conflict in his mind. After a few moments, he forced a smile and managed to make it look natural; he thanked his experience as Fuji for this. "Go ahead, Yuu... I'm sure that it'd be nice to have a reunion. After all…how many years have passed since you saw them?" he said.

Marina smiled. "See~~ Now come on, come on!" she said as she began tugging Shirota's arm.

Shirota looked over to Aiba, seeing past the strained smile he had seen from the boy on-stage during their TeniMyu days before he frowned. _'He's not happy about this...'_ he thought to himself before slowly nodding. "I understand..." he jerked his arm away from Marina. "Don't pull me off so quickly! I haven't gotten my shoes on yet!" After properly getting dressed, he moved to close the door before pausing, looking back inside and said, "I'm going, Hiroki..." and left.

-break-

Later that night, the front door opened with Marina barely able to keep a drunken Shirota on his feet as the boy slurred, "I'M HOOOOOOOME!"

Aiba frowned when he heard this; he was just at the dining table, surfing the net on his laptop. He stood up and removed his glasses. "Great..." he muttered as he approached the two. "I can take it from here, Marina-san," he said as he took Shirota from the girl. "…and you were the one telling me that I shouldn't get myself drunk when I go to parties…" he said quietly as he supported Shirota.

Shirota waved a hand in front of him. "I never said anything like that!" he exclaimed.

Marina nodded to Aiba before picking at her fingers for a moment. "A-no... May I ask a favor from you? It would seem impossible if I told this to Shiro-kun being in the state he's in at the moment..."

Aiba nodded as he adjusted his hold on Shirota so that the other wouldn't fall. "Sure, Marina-san, go ahead," he said. "Yuu! Stay still!"

"De-mo, Hiroki-kun..." Shirota began, but lost all succeeding words as he settled for resting his head on Aiba's shoulder.

"Could... could you tell Shiro-kun..." Marina began. She stopped, took a deep breath and exhaled before continuing. "Could you tell Shiro-kun that I love him?"

Aiba froze when Marina said this. He tried to keep calm. "I'm afraid that I can't do-"

"I LOVE YOU, HIROKI!" Shirota exclaimed randomly, pumping a fist into the air.

Aiba felt himself smile at this statement. "Yes, Yuu…I love you too, now stay still before we both lose our balance," he said. He then looked at Marina, trying not to smirk at the sudden revelation. "Marina-kun, I'll be honest with you. Yuu...he can't return your feelings. I'm sorry but that's just the way it is," he said as he gestured behind him where the picture hanged by the wall. "I'm really sorry and I hope you understand," he said.

Marina gaped, turning to the picture before returning to look at the pair. "Y...You and..." Not being able to finish the sentence, she turns and leaves the house at breakneck speed. _'It's not fair! It's...'_ Once she ran down a few blocks, she slowed down and came up with an idea. She began making her way home and hoped to execute it the next day.

-break-

Shirota moved his other arm around Aiba. "Hiroki, what's for dessert? Are we having chocolate?" he asked.

Aiba had smirked as he saw Marina run out, the door slamming closed behind her. "No, Yuu..." he said as he started guiding Shirota upstairs. "You are going to bed because anything you will intake tonight will just end up being regurgitated in the morning." Once they reached their room he deposited Shirota onto the bed and went to the dresser to get some clothes. "Come on, you're going to change..." he said.

"Hai, okaasan~!" Shirota said, taking hold of the pillow and cuddled it.

"E-eh?" Aiba said with a sweatdrop as he saw Shirota fall asleep. He looked at the clothes in his hands and sighed. "You are sooo going to have a headache when you wake up..." he said as he went out and came back moments later with a glass of water and a painkiller. He placed them on the bedside table and turned off the light. "Goodnight..." he whispered, kissing Shirota on the cheek before lying down on his side of the bed. He fell asleep in a few minutes, his arms around the other man.

+++November 4, 2006+++

The next morning, Aiba was fully aware that he had to wake up early. He made a simple breakfast - toast, porridge and juice - and brought it upstairs. He looked at the clock and nodded to himself. Shirota would be up in a while. He sat on the chair beside the bed to wait.

Shirota groaned as he forced his eyes open before he subconsciously moved to sit up before his felt his head spinning, causing him to fall back onto the pillows, bringing a hand to his head. "W...Wha-"

Aiba sighed. "Moral of the story...Don't get yourself bloody drunk..." he said as he stood and took the tray, setting it on his lap after sitting down on the side of the bed. "Here...have some breakfast and then you can take the painkiller," Aiba said.

Shirota slowly turned to Aiba before he nodded and moved to sit himself once more, leaning back on the headboard. The headache was killing him. "Did I... say anything last night that was uncalled for...?" he asked.

"Nothing much, you just said that you loved me," Aiba answered with a pleasant smile. "...in front of Marina-san, that is," he finished as his smile turned more sadistic.

"Ah, sou?" Shirota replied; sighing with relief before realization struck as he turned sharply to Aiba. "NANI?" he blurted out, getting dizzy before drawing back to lean on the wall, bringing a hand to his head. "Everything's so blurry..."

Aiba nodded. "I know, now come on and let's try to get something in your stomach so that you can take those painkillers," he said as he held out a spoonful of porridge. "Eat," he said.

Shirota merely resorted to nodding his next few replies, opening his mouth and took in the porridge.

-break-

Meanwhile, Marina was up and already on her way to a place that a friend of hers referred her to in the event that she needed some things to be taken care of. She entered the building and placed a request and left the building minutes later when the man at the desk agreed. Once Marina left, the man stood and proceeded into the back room, handing the paper over to the person who seemed to be in charge.

The paper read:

_'I would like to be noticed by Shirota Yuu. Please help me fabricate a hostage scene so that he might come and rescue me. I would like to acquire the help of your people to aid me. Arigatou~_

_Signed, Kuroki Marina'_

The boss smirked. "Shirota... Yuu... Isn't this a pleasant surprise..."

+++November 6, 2006+++

A few days later, Aiba was at the grocery. He was looking around the place and checking off the items he got in his mental checklist. "I think that's everything..." he said as he went to the counter to pay for it. Unfortunately, he didn't have the car with him since his license was being renewed and he still hasn't gotten it yet. "I have to remember to get it later..." he muttered to himself as he went out of the grocery while holding two bags.

-break-

Shirota was left at home, remnants of his hangover still playing about his head as he moved around in search of Echizen, who had managed to escape the cage as Shirota chased him out into the backyard. "Come back here, Echizen!" he called, stopping to catch his breath. "Mou, this isn't funny... I still have a headache!" he whined before moving towards the guinea pig which ran off to safety behind a potted plant.

-break-

Aiba got down from the bus and made his way to their house. But just before he reached their street, a black car stopped in front of him. "What the-" he was cut off by two men stepping out of the car, grabbing him as they placed a piece of cloth over his nose and mouth. "Y-Yuu..." he managed to say before he lost consciousness.

-break-

Shirota had managed to retrieve Echizen and deposited him into their cage as he checked the time. _'It's getting late...'_ he told himself as he took out his phone and began calling a few people if they had seen or heard from Aiba lately. After doing this for at least an hour, the sun had set. Shirota spread himself out on the couch, staring at the ceiling and heaved a huge sigh. "MOU, WHERE THE HECK ARE YOU?" he cried out in anger, throwing a pillow aside as his phone rang. He pulled it out and answered it immediately. "Hello?"

_'Shirota... is Aiba still missing?'_ Takigawa asked through the phone, a hint of worry evident in his voice.

Shirota groaned. "Aa..." he replied.

_'Do you want us to come over and-'_

"It's fine. I can wait here by myself," he interjected. "Gomen." With that, Shirota ended the call.

-break-

Aiba groaned as he blinked himself awake. "What the hell..." he muttered as he placed his hand on his head. It was then that the memories came rushing back to him. He frantically looked around. "Where..." he trailed off as panic started to rise in him. He saw that he was in a hospital-like room, he saw the door and tried to open it, but it was locked. "Darn it..." he muttered as he stepped back a bit and kicked the door.

"Oi, not so loud brat," a voice said from the other side.

"Who are you! What the heck do you want from me!" he yelled.

"You'll know soon," the voice answered. "Now be quiet or I'll force you to keep quiet!"

Aiba stepped back, trembling a bit. He looked at the window that was lined up with bars, to prevent him from escaping, he thought. He went over to the bed and sat down, hugging his knees. "Yuu..." he whispered as he felt tears well up.

-break-

Shirota was worried and angry at the same time. It was now 8 in the evening and there was still no sign of Aiba coming back. He was sitting down at the dinner table, a half-heartedly made dinner spread out in front of him before he pushed himself back from the table and stood, not wanting to eat as he moved to head upstairs before a knock came to the door. Hopeful for a few moments, he crossed the room and pulled it open. "What took you so-" he paused when he saw that it was Marina.

"Is it true?" she asked immediately. "That you and Aiba Hiroki are together?"

"I don't have time for this..." Shirota began, not up to having a conversation at the moment. "I'm waiting for him to come home, so would you please just leave?"

"He's not here? Well, he must be going out with somebody else. Maybe he was just staying with you to fill the gap or some-"

Shirota took her by the collar and pulled her off her feet. "I don't want to hear any of that from you. Hiroki's not like that. Don't go making false conclusions if you don't even know him. He's mine and nothing anybody's going to say is going to change that!" he stated harshly before letting go and closed the door with a thud before retreating upstairs.

-break-

Marina stared open mouthed at the door for a few seconds before shaking his head. "So it's hopeless, huh?" she muttered as she walked away. Pulling out her phone she dialed a number and as soon as someone picked up she spoke. "It's off. Please tell your boss that I'm canceling the job."

The voice on the other end chuckled. "Very well…we weren't planning to do what you wanted anyway…thank you for leading us to Shirota Yuu..." With that, the man ended the call.

Marina froze as he eyes widened. "Oh no... What have I done?" she said as she turned around, running back to Shirota's place.

-break-

At Shirota and Aiba's place, the doorbell rang and two men stood at the door.

_'If this isn't Hiroki...'_ Shirota thought to himself as he heard the doorbell and headed back downstairs to answer it. Pulling the door open, he furrowed his brows at the sight of the two men in black.

As soon as the door opened, one of them spoke. "Shirota Yuu?"

"Aa. What do you want?" he asked.

The men nodded at one another. "You have to come with us. Quietly, if possible," one of them said.

"...especially if you want to see Aiba Hiroki alive," the other continued.

Shirota's eyes widened. "WHAT DID YOU DO WITH HIM? WHERE IS HE?" he demanded.

"You forced us to do this," one of them said as he brought out a gun and hit Shirota on the back of his head to knock him unconscious. "Let's go," he told his partner as they grabbed Shirota and brought him to the car.

-break-

Aiba had been feeling miserable overnight. He forced himself to stay awake in case an opportunity to run came. He looked up when he heard the door open. He stood and he felt his eyes widen when he saw a familiar figure being thrown in. "Yuu!" he exclaimed as he rushed to him.

"The boss will want to see you both in the morning. Stay here for the night," the man instructed before closing the door, locking it tight.

Shirota groaned as he came to, rubbing the back of his head where they had hit him, pushing himself off the floor with his other hand.

"Yuu!" Aiba said again as he threw his arms around Shirota. He pulled away to examine him. "W-Why are you here...did they hurt you?" he asked worriedly.

Shirota turned to Aiba before pulling him into a silent embrace. "Baka... What happened to you?" he demanded softly, his whole body trembling. "I was worried..." he said, tears staining his face.

"I was on the way home when a car stopped in front of me. Two of them grabbed me and knocked me out with chloroform. I couldn't even fight back..." Aiba answered as he held on to Shirota. "...I fell unconscious afterwards and when I woke up I was here..."

Shirota nodded firmly. "Alright... We'll find out a way to get out of here..." he said before he got to his feet, realizing he had no footwear on. He groaned before gesturing to the bed. "Saa, get some rest," he said off-handedly. "We'll figure things out in the morning..."

Aiba frowned. "No...I don't want to rest... what if they take you away?" he said nervously, his grip on Shirota tightening a bit.

"We don't know who they want, Hiroki... It could be either of us..." Shirota replied.

Aiba's tears started to fall again. "I'm…not...going to lose you..." he said in between sobs. "I'm...I'm scared, Yuu..."

Shirota pulled Aiba close as they sat down on the bed. "I know... I'll be strong... for both of us..." he said quietly. "Everything will be alright... I promise..." Aiba nodded silently as he tried to calm himself down but fell asleep in the process. Shirota put on a small smile as Aiba fell asleep in his arms. He sighed and looked out the window. _'Let's hope things won't be hard on us in the morning...'_ he hoped before setting Aiba down on the bed before he slipped down on the floor next to it, leaning back on the wall and closed his eyes for a short rest, which later became the few hours of sleep he was going to have that night.

+++November 7, 2006+++

The next morning, the door opened. "Wake up!" a voice called harshly as both Aiba and Shirota were pulled to their feet and rushed out of the room into a bigger, open space. Two men brought Aiba to a chair that stood idle at the center of the room where a man in a business suit flanked it. The other two men held Shirota back and forced him to kneel a few feet away from Aiba.

"Let me go!" Shirota demanded before a cock of a gun echoed as it was trained at Aiba.

"Speak out of line again and you'll regret it, Shirota Yuu," the man in the suit bellowed.

Aiba was brought out of his sleep by a pair of hands roughly forcing him awake. "YUU!" he yelled out as he was forced to sit on a chair. He struggled against his captors but froze when he heard the click of the gun. His eyes widened.

"You must be wondering why we've brought you here..." the man in the suit continued, lowering the gun as he slowly walked around Aiba. "Let me make this point clear. I'm here to make amends for my son's sake."

"Son?" Shirota inquired hesitantly.

"Sou. Minami Keisuke. I'm his father, Minami Taigo, head of the Yakuza of the Tokyo district."

"What do you want with us?" Shirota demanded, struggling from his captors' grips once more.

"Both of you have caused some grief towards my son. I'm here to have you amend those grieves with your bodies," Taigo replied with a sinister grin.

Aiba glared at the man. "If it's about Minami Keisuke then Yuu has nothing to do with this!" he snapped.

Taigo turned to face Aiba. "He has everything to do with my son," he replied coolly. "He was the cause for my son's concussion, was he not? He threw a _hair iron_ of all items at him, did he not? He prevented my son from having you all to himself!"

"If it's my fault, you shouldn't involve Hiroki in any of this!" Shirota shouted in anger.

Taigo turned to Shirota and smirked. "Both of you are to blame, of course…which is why I cannot see this through without the necessary punishments." He slowly returned his gaze to Aiba. "It's befitting that we begin with you, then." He nodded to his men.

Shirota began struggling harder. "LEAVE HIM ALONE! DON'T HURT HIM!"

"You'll have your share of pain in a while, Shirota-kun," Taigo replied nonchalantly, looking over his shoulder for a moment before he nodded once more to his men who were holding Aiba. "Begin."

Aiba's fear intensified when he saw 5 men holding metal bars approach him. He trembled in fear. He closed his eyes as the men started to hit him, though they were careful not to hit his head or any vital parts of his body. After all...killing him wouldn't do any of them good. Pain racked through his body as he felt the beatings continue. He coughed out blood as he opened his eyes, unable to focus on anything. He then saw the men advance on Shirota. "No..." he said. "Don't...hurt him..." he pleaded. "Please..."

Shirota closed his eyes, unable to bear to watch Aiba getting hurt as he bit his lip before it began to bleed. It wasn't long before the 5 who had attended to Aiba approached him, joined by a couple more. He resigned himself to it before all 9 of them came at him with swings from the bars, breaking bones and causing deep bruises all over his body as blood was spilled to the floor. When they were done, Shirota was sprawled out on the floor, struggling to get up as he coughed out a pool of blood.

Taigo watched from the sidelines as he crossed his arms. He shook his head in disapproval. "Shirota-kun... You will have to know how it feels to watch someone get hurt in front of you with your own eyes," he explained, nodding to his men.

"NO!" Shirota bellowed, pushing himself up painfully. "Keep him... keep Hiroki out of this..." he pleaded. "IF YOU WANT TO PUNISH SOMEONE, PUNISH ME!" he cried out.

Aiba's eyes widened when he heard this. "No! Don't hurt Shirota!" he yelled, tears streaming down his face. "Please! I'm the one who started this! I'm the one who rejected your son and not him!" he said. "Please! I'll do anything...just...don't...hurt him!"

Taigo smirked as he looked over to Aiba. "Anything, you say?" he asked, contemplating on it for a moment before slowly nodding. "Then what about this? I will stop this brutality towards you both... if you, Aiba Hiroki, leave Shirota Yuu for my son."

Shirota began to protest but was stopped by the pain in his chest. "D...Don't do it, Hiroki!" he called out. "You can't-" Shirota's words were cut short as one of the men standing over him stepped on the boy's broken leg as Shirota screamed in pain.

"You have three seconds to answer or Shirota-kun will be in for another round of beating, Aiba Hiroki," Taigo declared darkly.

Aiba felt the tears fall down harder; he couldn't make himself look at Shirota. "I...I'll do it...just don't...hurt Yuu..." he said. It was then he managed to look at Shirota's fallen form. "I'm sorry..." he apologized.

Taigo smirked in triumph before nodding to his men, who had lowered their weapons.

"H...Hiroki..." Shirota called, his eyes shut as he tried to contain the immense pain he was feeling.

Aiba looked away, unable to look anymore, the feeling of sadness overtaking him.

"MATTE!" a new voice said from the door of the room. "Tou-san! Stop it!" Minami Keisuke yelled, dashing towards the two.

"Keisuke!" Taigo cried, eyes widening at the appearance of his son. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.

"Takigawa-senpai had spread the word that both Shirota-senpai and Aiba-senpai had been missing and that Shiozawa had managed to take the plate number of the car that took Shirota-senpai," he said, as he paused to catch his breath and turned to his father. "Tou-san! What you're doing is wrong!" he said firmly. "I was wrong when I wanted Aiba-kun and I even made a serious mistake when I took him against his will! He and Shirota-senpai...they're meant to be together!" he explained. "While I...I...I'm with Sakurada Dori!" he added. "So you better do something right now!" he said as he moved towards Shirota. "I'm so sorry, Shirota-senpai! I'll call an ambulance immediately!"

Shirota pushed himself up before nodding. "Sankyu..." he replied before losing consciousness.

Taigo groaned, guilt sinking in as he barked at his men to call the paramedics as he approached his son. He heaved a sigh of relief. "We'll take care of this, Keisuke... We'll take them to the hospital right away... But you could've told me sooner!"

"I told you yesterday morning but apparently you were too busy plotting," Keisuke answered with a frown as he checked on Aiba who had fallen unconscious as well.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

We look forward to your reviews and possible suggestions. :)


	9. Slow Recoveries

**Title:** Anything for You

**Author/Artist:** snooperj & Bloodysamurai

**Series/Pairing(s):** TeniMyu; Mainly Takigawa Eiji x Kimeru & Shirota Yuu x Aiba Hiroki

**Notes:** Here is the 9th chapter entitled **Slow Recoveries**. This chapter focuses mainly on the beginning of Shirota and Aiba's recovery process under the care of Takigawa and Kimeru. This chapter runs from November 9 to December 17, 2006.

**ALSO! None of the authors of this roleplay/fanfic own TeniMyu or the actors, but are mere fangirls of the musical series and corresponding actors we write about. Everything that progresses in the story is the creation of our witty imaginations.

* * *

+++November 9, 2006+++

The two had been unconscious for two days. Minami's family was the one paying for the hospital bills but as soon as they got to the hospital, Takigawa and Kimeru were contacted and were the ones who attended to the two.

Shirota had finally come to as he turned his head on the pillow, groaning as his eyes slowly fluttered open to the small pulsating radiance from the table lamp. He saw a figure sitting beside him; his eyes focused before he recognized who it was. "E...Eiji-nii..."

"Shiropon!" Takigawa called, smiling down at the boy. "You're finally awake."

"W...Where..."

"You and Aibacchin are in the hospital," Takigawa explained. "You've been unconscious for two days now..."

Kimeru, who was sitting on a chair beside Aiba's bed heard this and stood up. "Thank goodness you're awake...we were so worried..." he said as he sighed in relief, approaching Shirota's bed. "Keisuke-kun explained what happened...and...Marina-san as well...apparently she had a hand in this," he explained. "…though she didn't intend this to be the outcome."

Shirota nodded softly. His entire body was burning. "What about Hiroki?" he asked quietly, looking over to Kimeru. "How are his injuries?"

Kimeru smiled reassuringly. "He's fine, he just broke his left arm and a rib...he should be waking up soon..." he said. "And you better take it easy as well. You broke a leg," he added.

"Yuu..." came Aiba's voice from the bed just behind him.

"Excuse me...he's been calling out for you since the day you two were admitted," Kimeru said as he went over to Aiba's bed to attempt to calm the boy down. Shirota frowned before nodding his thanks to Kimeru.

"Your right shoulder..." Takigawa stated quietly. "Take care of it... It's banged up pretty badly," he reported.

Shirota nodded. "I appreciate your help," he replied.

-break-

"K-Kime-nii?" Aiba said as he opened his eyes.

"Hey there…" Kimeru greeted.

"Y…Yuu..." His eyes widened. "Where's Yuu?" he asked in panic but Kimeru managed to hold him down.

"Relax…he's just over there," Kimeru said as he gestured to the other bed.

-break-

Shirota closed his eyes before chuckling.

"What's so funny?" Takigawa asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's just that... We ended up being in the same position, Eiji-nii," Shirota pointed out.

Takigawa frowned. "I don't think that's something to laugh about..."

-break-

Kimeru nodded. "Honestly, Eiji and I thought that we were going to lose the two of you..." he said. "We got here as they rushed you both to the emergency room...you just can't imagine what we felt back then," he said seriously.

"Gomen, Kime-nii..." Aiba said.

Kimeru shook his head. "You two..." he said. "That's why Eiji and I agreed that we will be taking care of the both of you until you fully heal," he said.

Aiba looked at him, an incredulous look on his face. "Wh-what? But that would cause you two so much trouble and…and…"

"It's fine," Takigawa replied from Shirota's bedside. "I may sound like a broken record, but we owe you both so much already... Taking care of _us _when we had that argument... Now it's our turn to lend a hand to you both..." he explained as he turned to Shirota. "Besides... the two of you... you're like the type of kids Kimeru and I seem to need to take care of..."

"Eiji-nii..." Shirota began. "Ki...Kime-nii..."

Kimeru smiled when he heard this. "Now go back to sleep, the both of you," he said softly. "Don't worry, mommy and daddy will be here when you wake up," he teased as he kissed them both on the forehead.

Aiba chuckled. "Hai..." he said as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep once more. Shirota settled himself and closed his eyes once more, nodding before letting sleep overtake him.

Kimeru stood beside Takigawa. "You're the mommy," he said, voice soft enough so that only Takigawa would hear.

Takigawa turned sharply to Kimeru, furrowing his eyebrows. "What?" he hissed.

Kimeru chuckled. "Kidding, Eiji," he said as he kissed Takigawa on the cheek. "I'm just glad that they both woke up." He then paused for a moment. "...remember what Marina-san said about this, to tell her when they both wake up?" he asked. "...I don't think we should just yet, after all..." he looked at the two who were peacefully asleep. "...I don't think that she will be forgiven anytime soon..."

+++November 10, 2006+++

The next day, Aiba opened his eyes and noticed the sunlight streaming through the lower half of the window which was not covered. He blinked as he tried to recall where he was. He looked around and saw Kimeru asleep on the couch just in front of his bed while Takigawa was also asleep on a chair beside Shirota's bed. He smiled, grateful that there was someone there for the both of them. Yawning, he sat up and looked over to the other bed. He felt his heart break when he saw Shirota, whose leg was in a cast and was wired up to dextrose just like him. He quietly got up and moved to the other boy's bed, careful not to jostle his left arm as he did. He winced a bit when he stood. _'I think I broke a rib...'_ he thought. He laid down beside Shirota, placing his head near the other's shoulder. "Yuu..." he started. "I'm so sorry for what happened..." he said quietly, remembering what happened to them. He stopped at the certain memory of him surrendering to Minami Taigo and saying that he would leave Shirota. He bit his lip as tears threatened to flow down his eyes. "I didn't want you to get hurt..." he said. "I couldn't just stay there and do nothing...I know what I did and said hurt you...I'm so sorry…" The barrier broke as he sobbed softly. "I would do anything for you...anything...as long as I could protect you, just like the way you've always protected me... I'm willing to sacrifice everything..."

Shirota stirred when he felt a weight settle beside him on the bed. His eyes fluttered open before he slowly turned to Aiba. "H...Hiroki?" he called quietly, wincing when he moved his right shoulder a bit to give Aiba more space on the bed. "W...What are you doing..?"

Aiba's eyes snapped open when he heard Shirota's voice. He hurriedly wiped away his tears. "N-Nothing…" he said. "S-Sorry...did I wake you?" he asked quietly.

Shirota nodded tiredly. "It's fine." He frowned when he had seen the extent of Aiba's injuries with his own eyes as he closed them, subconsciously licking his lips to taste the dry blood before the memories came flooding back. He shuddered; just the mere thought of what had gone on in that place unsettled him as he brought up his left hand from underneath the sheets, finding it trembling. He clenched it into a fist. "At that time...I couldn't protect you... When you were taken... and even when you were being beaten up... I... I'm really sorry..." Shirota stated quietly. "When I knew you were missing...I didn't go out to look for you... I... I kept myself locked inside... Waiting for you... I feel like an idiot doing that... If only I had gone with you that day... Then..." he trailed off, fresh tears starting to fall.

Aiba wanted to reach Shirota's hand but cursed inwardly when he remembered that he couldn't due to his broken arm. So instead he opted to kiss Shirota on the cheek. "It's alright Yuu...it's not your fault. Neither of us expected that this would happen," he said. "I'm just thankful that we're both alive...and together still…"

"De-mo, Hiroki!" Shirota stammered; raising his voice a bit as Takigawa stirred.

Aiba noticed Takigawa stirring and panicked a bit. "Yuu...listen to me," he hissed urgently. "It's not your fault, do you understand? So please stop blaming yourself for what happened to the both of us," he finished as he looked at the two other people in the room.

Shirota shut his mouth; knowing protesting further would only lead to a long rebuttal from the younger boy as he closed his eyes instead.

"I should have let the nurses tie you down to the bed..." Aiba heard Kimeru say from the couch. The J-Pop singer was rubbing his eyes sleepily. "Glad to see you two up and about," he said as he stood. "What would you two like for breakfast?" he asked, acting as if seeing the two together on one bed when they were supposed to be on separate beds was something normal.

Takigawa opened his eyes and got to his feet, stretching his limbs before pausing to see the two on Shirota's bed. Shrugging it off, he turned to Kimeru instead. "Kimeru, it seems you were right about the possibility of me waking up to this," he said, gesturing to the bed before striding over to sit beside him on the couch.

Aiba blushed. "Er...I'll go back to my bed, I guess," he said as he made a move to stand up.

"I'll go get the two of you something decent to eat; hospital food is terrible for recovery," Kimeru said as he stood, kissed Takigawa on the cheek and slipped out of the room.

"Chotto..." Takigawa began before Kimeru had left. He sighed before moving to Aiba. "Here, let me help you back to your bed..." he offered. Aiba smiled as he let Takigawa assist him back to his bed.

Shirota lowered his fist and placed it alongside him as he tried to calm down. _'Now's not the time... Now's not the time...'_ he told himself repeatedly.

A knock was heard before the door opened. When Aiba saw who it was, he froze. He felt his blood run cold as anger flared up. "You..." he hissed in rage.

Marina entered with a sad expression on her face. "A...A-no..." she said, as she looked up to look at Shirota. Her hands flew to her mouth as she saw his condition; she then met Aiba's eyes with equal rage. "This is all your fault, you bitch!" she yelled.

Shirota's eyes snapped open as he moved to sit up before grabbing his shoulder as it shot daggers to his chest at the pain. "This isn't the time or the place for this type of talk!" Shirota said angrily.

Marina glared as tears spilled out of her eyes in anger. "But it's true! This wouldn't have happened to you if you weren't with him!" she yelled, pointing a finger at Aiba. "You...you're the one who caused this on Shirota!"

Aiba trembled in rage as he gritted his teeth. "I...I..."

Marina's glare intensified. "Admit it! All this..." she said as she gestured to Shirota. "This wouldn't have happened if you just left him! Now look at him! He's injured because of you! You're the reason why he's in the hospital instead of being out there! You...You don't deserve him!"

Aiba's eyes widened as her words sunk in; the stinging feeling of guilt he had been feeling since he saw Shirota being beaten up in front of him returned.

"Marina-chan, that wasn't-" Takigawa began before he was drowned out by Shirota's sudden outburst.

"That's enough!" Shirota yelled. Still clinging onto his injured shoulder, Shirota closed his eyes and heaved a huge sigh. "Marina-chan... I'll admit this to you. It's true that I wouldn't be injured right now if I wasn't with Hiroki. Conversely, Hiroki wouldn't be injured right now if he wasn't taken away to begin with..." He paused, refusing to let a fresh batch of tears escape his eyes. "It was because I couldn't protect him properly that he got hurt... That I got myself hurt..." He opened his eyes and glared over to Marina, the tears now flowing. "I broke my promise to him… But don't you _dare_ blame Hiroki for this! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT US!"

"Can you even hear yourself Shirota?" Marina said. "Can you even hear what you're saying! This man...this man...why do you care for him so much?" she yelled. "He's nothing! He's done absolutely nothing for you and you...you would still put your life on the line for him? Think about it for once, I beg you!"

Aiba growled as he moved towards Shirota, stopping when he was just beside the other's bed. "You have no right to-"

"I have every right to say what I want to say!" Marina said, cutting Aiba off. "You're the one who has to stay out of this, Aiba Hiroki! Don't you see the damage that you have dealt?"

"Neither of us knew that this would happen!" he snapped.

"Exactly! And this wouldn't have happened if you just stepped out of his life which is what I recommend you to do right now!" Marina retorted.

Shirota's head was fuming, shutting eyes once more, and turning away from the two. Takigawa moved towards him and patted him gingerly on the arm before turning to Marina.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that to happen, under any circumstance," Takigawa explained. "That's because... these two deserve one another more than you ever would with Shirota-kun, Marina-chan," he began.

"I...I don't understand!" Marina said. "How can Aiba deserve Shirota after all that he did?" she asked.

"You're not really in the position to talk, Marina-chan... after all...this was _your_ fault as well," Kimeru said as he closed the door behind him; a serious expression that was seldom on his face was present. "You were the one who led the Yakuza to Shirota and Aiba, after all."

Aiba, suddenly aware of the barrier that was there between him and Shirota, wasn't listening to the others as he turned his attention to the boy. "Y-Yuu?" he asked cautiously as he placed a hand over Shirota's own.

Takigawa nodded. "Keisuke-kun told us about it. You hired the Yakuza just so you could get Shirota's attention..."

Shirota was panting now, tightening his grip on his shoulder as he gritted his teeth, gently slipping his hand away from Aiba's. "G...Gomen... H...Hontou ni..." he said quietly, avoiding Aiba's gaze. He shut his eyes tightly, shaking his head. "I couldn't keep my promise... The promise I made to you on that day... Gomen nasai..." The words of that promise echoed repeatedly in his head.

_**"I'll be strong... for both of us..." he said quietly. "Everything will be alright... I promise... I'll protect you…"**_

"HONTOU NI GOMEN!" Shirota cried as the tears began to flow as he broke down.

Takigawa turned to Shirota and tried to calm him down. "Shirotan... It's fine..." he whispered to him as he tried to pry the boy's hand from his shoulder. "Mou, let go or you'll cause more harm to your shoulder..." he soothed.

Aiba felt his own tears fall from his eyes as he pulled Shirota's hand away from his shoulder and held him. "Sshhh...It's okay, Yuu..." he whispered to him. "Everything is fine now...we're both safe. Please stop blaming yourself for everything that's happened," he said. "Don't give yourself this pain, love... please," Aiba begged.

Marina stood there, stunned to even move. Kimeru smirked when he noticed this. "You see, Marina-chan...This...this is Shirota and Aiba..." he said.

"I...I...I'm so sorry..." Marina said as she backed away. "I'm so sorry!" With that she ran out of the room.

"Ne, Eiji...let's leave the two of them alone for a while…" Kimeru said as he led Takigawa out of the room as well.

"Do you... do you think they'll be alright?" Takigawa asked silently as he closed the door behind him before folding his arms, leaning on the wall as he heaved a sigh.

"Trust me...they'll be fine. They love each other too much to let this get out of hand," Kimeru said as he leaned on the wall beside Takigawa.

-break-

Aiba heard the door close and silently thanked the two for their insight. He pulled back a bit to look at Shirota. "Please stop doing this to yourself okay?" he asked. "Let's both forgive ourselves for our faults in this situation and move on..." he said as he kissed Shirota. "I have something to apologize for as well..." He then moved to sit on the bed. "At that moment...when they had beaten you up and Minami's father told me to leave you...I agreed to it... because I knew that it was the only way to save you… but at that moment...I..." he paused as he bit his lip. "I... thought that I had lost everything then..."

Shirota's lips were trembling, begging to let out a plausible response but nothing came. He closed his mouth and closed his eyes, letting out a shuddered breath before slowly taking Aiba's hand and grasped it gingerly. "Baka..." he whispered. "No matter how much pain I suffered... you're not getting rid of me so easily..." he said slowly before hesitating to turn to meet Aiba's gaze. "Because if I'm gone... Nobody will be around to protect you..."

"Baka, Yuu!" Aiba exclaimed as he hugged Shirota again. "I don't even want to think about you being gone!" he said. "I won't be able to live a day without you...I told you that I love you too much to leave you! That's why I'm sorry for even considering it back then but I would have done it so that you would live! I'd do anything for you...anything!" he said, repeating his words when Shirota was asleep.

"You didn't have to if it was for my sake..." Shirota muttered. "That'd just be selfish of you..." he added with a sigh before he winced and brought a hand to his chest. "I-te..." he hissed before slowly lying back down.

Aiba looked down. "I would have still done it if it was for you...I think it's only fair that if you would even risk your own safety for my sake, I could do it too," he said. "...Yuu...can you ever forgive me?"

Shirota nodded before cringing, gritting his teeth. "A... A rib..." he muttered quietly. "Hard... to... br...brea..." Shirota trailed off before he had lost consciousness.

"Yuu? ...Yuu!...YUU!" Aiba yelled in a state of panic.

Kimeru rushed in. "Shit! Eiji get a doctor! NOW!" he said as he tried to pull Aiba away. "Come on Hiroki, budge!"

Takigawa nodded and retrieved a doctor as fast as his feet could allow him. The doctor was shuffled into the room to examine Shirota. The doctor calmly asked them to move to the other side of the room for him to do a thorough examination without distractions. It took the doctor a good half hour before he moved towards Aiba's side of the room where the other three had been waiting.

"I'm sorry for taking so long," the doctor began. "I'm Dr. Makoto. With concerns to Shirota-kun's injuries, I would suggest that he does not overexert himself too much. Aside from his broken leg and shoulder, the two broken ribs have begun to give him problems breathing properly and will continue doing so if he moves around needlessly." Makoto paused as he consulted the clipboard that was hanging on the edge of Shirota's bed. "Please restrain him from making any sudden movements so as not to disrupt the healing of his ribs. Those will take some time to strengthen before he's able to move without worry."

Takigawa stood and bowed. "Arigatou gozaimasu, Makoto-sensei. We'll keep those in mind," he said before he straightened and gazed over to Shirota's sleeping form on the bed.

Aiba nodded silently and watched the doctor leave. When the door closed he grabbed the person nearest to him, which happened to be Takigawa. "E-Eiji-nii..." he said helplessly.

Takigawa looked over to Aiba, smiled and wrapped his arms and hugged him gingerly. "Everything will be fine, Aibacchin... Let's not point fingers for the time being... For now..." he looked over to Shirota's bed. "Let's make sure that you both recover well from these injuries, na?" Aiba nodded silently at these words.

+++November 16, 2006+++

Kimeru sighed as he put the last of his and Takigawa's things in the cabinet. They were currently at Shirota and Aiba's place, where they had decided was best to stay for the time being to look after the two.

"Now Pearl... Remember, you're not allowed to disturb them, okay?" Kimeru said. "As for you..." he said as he regarded Momo who was on his head. "Where the heck did you come from?" he asked. He smiled. "Well, either way, you would just have to accompany me in making dinner," he said as he went out. "I hope Eiji is done debriefing the two…" he muttered as he passed Shirota and Aiba's room where the three were.

-break-

"De-mo, Eiji-nii!" Shirota began before Takigawa quickly and gently pushed him back down.

"You're not to get up for a while, Shirotan," Takigawa instructed. "Suman, but we don't want to risk delaying your ribs from healing." He then moved to the door, paused and turned back to the two. "Both of you need to take it easy. Being discharged from the hospital is not something to boast about. In fact, it requires you to take care of yourselves _by_ yourselves. Learn to know your limits and to not overdo something that is already impossible given the state of your injuries..." he explained before nodding and leaving the room.

Aiba blinked. "Is it just me or did you also feel like we were Momo and Echizen being told off by Tezuka...?" he asked as he sighed. "In any case...Eiji-nii is right..." he said as he laid back down on the bed. "The next few months will be boring..." he muttered.

Shirota sighed. "Let's try not to be _too_ passive about the situation!" he said brightly. "Na, Hiroki?"

Aiba smiled. "Hai~" he answered as he turned to his side to face Shirota. "It's still a nice change of pace though...Eiji-nii and Kime-nii acting like our parents," he said with a chuckle. "Ne, Yuu-niisama?" he teased.

Shirota pouted and playfully slapped Aiba on the head. "Mou, I thought we weren't stooping down to 'brotherly affection'?" he asked.

Aiba grinned. "That phrase in itself sounds wrong, Yuu...after all, I'm not into incest," he said slyly.

"Of course you're not..." Shirota replied.

Aiba moved closer to Shirota. "It hasn't been more than a month and I'm already irritated by our injuries..." he said with a pout.

Shirota sighed. "It's a bit impossible _not_ to be irritated... I'm bed-ridden due to my leg, ribs _and_ my shoulder... Gomen..."

Aiba grinned. "And I broke a rib and an arm...pretty much even, don't you think..?" he said ruefully. "…But let's not dwell on that...hmmm...I wonder what we can do while were both...er...unable to perform, so to speak," he asked.

-break-

Kimeru, who was downstairs, heard Takigawa exit the room. "How was it?" he called out.

Takigawa headed downstairs, heaving a sigh. "Hard-headed kids..." he said, shaking his head. "They'll give me a big headache someday..."

Kimeru chuckled. "You'll do fine, it just needs some getting used to," he said as he started on dinner. Takigawa attended to feeding Q. Kimeru smiled as he moved around the kitchen. "Ne Eiji! Don't forget to feed the TeniPuri pets of the two...and in case you're wondering, Momo is with me," he called out.

"Hai~" Takigawa called, returning from feeding Q and entered the kitchen to retrieve the guinea pigs' food. Momo saw Takigawa get their food and jumped on his head instead.

"Lively isn't he?" Kimeru said with a chuckle.

Takigawa nodded. "Unfortunately..." he replied as he took a small handful from the bag and lifted it to Momo who devoured it as Takigawa strode over to the living room to feed the rest of the bunch their share.

Kimeru chuckled. "Momo sure lives up to his name," he said to himself.

-break-

"Echizen!" Takigawa scolded from the living room as he began his chase after the little critter that had jumped at the opportunity to escape as the cage door swung open.

Kimeru looked out of the kitchen when he heard this. "What's going-" he said as a furry blur passed him to get into the kitchen.

Takigawa swerved past Kimeru in time as he continued his chase after Echizen. "Ko-ra! This isn't funny!" he shouted over to the guinea pig.

-break-

Shirota shook his head. "Don't ask me... My mind is still drawing a blank..." he admitted.

Aiba thought for a moment. "How about we ask each other questions to pass the time? You can go first…" he suggested.

Shirota suddenly thought up an idea. "Instead of asking questions... Hiroki..." he began, grinning. "We can watch a few old videos..." he said, pointing to their collection of DVDs. "It's been a while since I've last seen Dream Live 1st..."

Aiba considered this for a moment before nodding. "Sounds like a plan," he said as he stood up and prepared the DVD. As soon as it was playing he settled back on the bed.

-break-

Kimeru grinned as he picked up Echizen in one swift motion. "He must have been used to running out of the cage..." he said as he handed the animal back to Takigawa. "Either that or he was looking for his brother."

Takigawa muttered something about guinea pigs being too fast as he took Echizen and took him back into the living room to place him back with his family. Once making sure that all five were accounted for, he closed the cage. He was heading back to the kitchen before he heard an all-too-familiar music playing from upstairs. Shaking his head, he moved inside and crossed his arms. "Seems they're watching their senpais making a fool of themselves..."

Kimeru chuckled as he checked on the food. "Don't say that, DL 1 was fun to do," he said as he turned off the flame. "There, all done," he said as he prepared the food so that they can be brought upstairs. "Let's take the food up to the kids, shall we?" he said with a smile.

Takigawa took one of the two trays and nodded. "Hai, hai, okaasan," he teased, capturing Kimeru's lips for a moment with his own before moving upstairs. Kimeru smiled as he followed Takigawa upstairs. Takigawa pushed the door open with his shoulder as they arrived just when Tezuka's part (sung by Kimeru) was on during _**'Kono Seigaku Regular-jin nanoda' **_at the start of the musical.

"Alright you two, dinner," Kimeru said as he paused the movie. "We can watch that after you two eat...now…make sure you finish everything."

Aiba blinked before grinning widely. _'He sure does sound like a mother…'_ he thought in amusement.

"Unfortunately, you'll be stuck having us feed you two for the time being since you can't get up and you only have one arm to work with," Takigawa said to Shirota and Aiba in turn. "Saa..." he took a seat and set the tray down onto his lap. "Dozo, Shiropon~" he chimed. Shirota chuckled to himself and gratefully took in his dinner without complaints.

Aiba in the meantime, wasn't used with the treatment and turned red. "K-Kime-nii, I'm sure I can manage to-" he was cut off when Kimeru shoved the spoon in his mouth.

"Stop complaining and eat," Kimeru said with a smile. Aiba chewed slowly before resigning himself to be fed by the other Fuji actor. Kimeru chuckled. "Good boy."

-break-

After both were through eating, Takigawa rose to his feet and offered to bring the trays down to the kitchen, taking Aiba's tray from Kimeru before moving to leave the room.

"A-no sa..." Shirota called out as he fumbled with his fingers. "What you're doing for us... Eiji-nii... and Kime-nii... A...Arigatou... Because of you both... I feel as if... I'm part of a family... Not just any family... A _whole_ family... My parents are divorced now... and me, my brothers and sisters are busy with our jobs or school... It's rare for us to get together... I missed that feeling... Dakara... arigatou..."

Kimeru smiled as he approached Shirota and patted him on the head. "It's fine, Shiropon," he said "...just like what Eiji said, we owe you a lot already; this is nothing."

Aiba nodded at him. "I would also like to thank you Kime-nii...Eiji-nii...it's been a while since I've been with my own family as well."

Kimeru's smile softened. "If only you two weren't injured, I'd hug you both right now," he said.

Takigawa nodded to the two. "Same goes for me," he added.

Shirota snapped his head over to Aiba. "A while was just a month ago," Shirota hissed. "We had dinner with them during your birthday!" he protested.

Takigawa chuckled before wordlessly leaving the room and headed downstairs to clean up.

"I'm close to my family, so sue me..." Aiba said in defense.

Kimeru chuckled. "Alright alright... Enough, you two… Why don't we continue the Dream Live instead of bickering?"

Shirota turned to Kimeru before nodding. "Aa. I'd like to see that Karaoke scene again~" he said enthusiastically.

Kimeru grinned. "Dream Live was very interesting, wasn't it?" he said as he pressed play to continue the movie.

Shirota grinned before pointing at the screen. "A-re! Kime-nii's singing for Eiji-nii!" he said with a grin.

"Amazing what annoying cast mates can do, isn't it?" Kimeru said.

"Huh?"Aiba asked.

"Moriyama and the others thought it would be best if I did the Tezuka intro for Myu..." Kimeru answered.

"I noticed that you were in a group with Eiji-nii and Aoyama-senpai... Moriyama, Gomoto and Abe-senpai were in another, and Tuti and Nagayan-senpai were paired up... For the song, that is..." Shirota explained as Takigawa re-entered the room.

Kimeru nodded. "It was better to work within a system, that way no one would get confused," Kimeru explained.

Aiba nodded. "But Kime-nii...was circling Eiji-nii at one point really necessary?" he asked.

Kimeru chuckled. "Spur of the moment thing."

Shirota chuckled. "Araki did the same thing when we did that song since he got the Tezuka part..." he stated fondly. "He, Adachi and I were in a group. And then Hiroki and Kujirai were paired up, and Zukki, Kaji and Konii were the other group," Shirota recalled.

Aiba nodded. "Which reminds me, Kime-nii...why were you not with Eiji-nii when you did the Tezuka-Fuji duet '_**Dream Maker**_' when you were the cast? Weren't you disappointed at the turnout?" he asked.

Kimeru looked fondly at Takigawa. "To tell you the truth, I was rather pissed off for the first few parts but Eiji made it up to me." Takigawa scratched his cheek before he sat himself down on the floor, opting to watch the movie rather than join in the conversation.

"E...Eiji-nii?" Shirota called.

Kimeru chuckled as he sat down beside Takigawa. "Haven't you ever wondered how Sota got those pictures for this DL?" he asked.

Aiba blinked. "Hey...I've been wondering about that…" he admitted.

"Didn't he explicitly state that he went into your 'house' to get those pictures, Kime-nii?" Shirota inquired.

"He did?" Aiba asked in amazement. "But why would he go to those kinds of extremes?" he asked.

Kimeru shrugged. "That he didn't really explain," he said.

Takigawa brought a hand to his face. "He wanted them to be as authentic as possible..." he muttered darkly. "For some, it was only a matter of setting a situation for their corresponding characters and snap a picture... For others..." he trailed off, shaking his head before resigning himself to watch the rest of the concert in silence.

Kimeru, curious about what Takigawa said prodded on. "For others what?" he asked quietly so that the other two wouldn't hear.

"Not really for others... Just in my case, perhaps..." Takigawa started off quietly. "Sota got some help from Ueshima-sensei about the pictures... Those pictures... weren't fabricated or made just for that Dream Live..."

"Really? Then what were some of the pictures for if not for the Dream Live?" Kimeru asked.

"Kime-nii's voice really stands out when they say, "Ore sa"," Aiba said randomly as he and Shirota continued to watch.

"Eiji-nii..." Shirota interrupted. "Where were your pictures taken?" he asked, his gaze moving from the screen to the actor at the foot of their bed.

"Those were..." Takigawa paused and cleared his throat. "Those were from my mother..."

Kimeru's eyes widened. "THOSE WERE REALLY FROM YOUR MOTHER?" he exclaimed loudly.

Aiba burst out laughing. "This...this is so..." he wasn't able to finish his sentence as he began coughing.

"O-oi, Hiro...don't laugh too hard, your chest will hurt again!" Kimeru warned as he stood to calm the other boy down. As soon as Aiba calmed down Kimeru turned to look at Takigawa. "But seriously... your mother? And here I thought that sneaking into my apartment was the most bizarre thing he did."

Shirota decided on giving off a soft smile. _'Then again... Having those pictures shown to everybody brought out his 'inner Tezuka'...'_ Shirota thought to himself as he chuckled.

Takigawa shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "Ueshima-sensei thought it would be appropriate to actually do it..." he explained.

Kimeru grinned. "So that's why you looked so young in the picture," he said.

"Ne... since we're talking about the pictures...Kime-nii, do you really smile like that in your sleep?" Aiba asked.

"Hmm...I'm not really sure...do I?" Kimeru asked Takigawa.

Takigawa got to his knees and turned around, setting his elbows on the bed as he looked at the injured pair on the bed. "He does when he's thinking about things that make him extremely happy... Usually mutters them out sometimes..." he explained.

"Such as?" Shirota inquired.

Kimeru made a move to protest but Aiba threw a pillow at him. "Yeah Eiji-nii, such as what?" Aiba asked as Kimeru turned a bit red. Takigawa turned to Kimeru before silently pointing to himself.

Shirota grinned. "That's what I thought!"

"Eiji!" Kimeru exclaimed as he threw the pillow at Takigawa. Aiba chuckled, keeping himself in check.

Takigawa brought an arm up to block himself from the pillow. "You kept muttering my name at one point, you know..." he admitted as he shifted back to sit down and watch the rest of the musical.

Shirota turned to Kimeru. "Either way, that answers a lot of questions..."

Aiba grinned. "Aww...Kime-nii is blushing…" he teased. Said J-Pop singer walked back to the foot of the bed and sat down beside Takigawa again, muttering to himself.

-break-

As soon as the musical ended, Takigawa moved forward to take out the DVD and returned it in its case as he turned around to see that the two had fallen asleep. He turned the DVD player off before moving towards the bed and adjusted the blanket over the two before tapping Kimeru on the shoulder, who had dozed off as well. "Shall we call it a night?" he asked quietly.

Kimeru blinked himself awake and yawned. "H-Hai..." he said sleepily as he stood up. He smiled as he saw the two asleep before moving to the door to close the lights as he and Takigawa left.

+++November 17, 2006+++

At around midnight, Aiba woke up. He looked at the glow-in-the-dark clock on the table as he smirked. _'Yosh...I managed to get up on time...'_ he thought as he crept of the bed, making sure he doesn't wake Shirota up. He quietly made his way to the door and opened it very slowly as he crept outside. He closed the door and surveyed his surroundings. He had to make it past the studio room and the guest room before he made it to the stairs. He hoped that no one would catch him.

Takigawa, unable to sleep, was reading a book in the living room while he left Kimeru sleeping peacefully in their bed in the guest room. Pearl was sleeping on his lap as he turned the page. He paused and checked the time on the wall clock by the kitchen door. _'Midnight, huh?'_ he thought to himself. _'Seems like I'll be lacking a few hours of sleep later...'_

Aiba breathed out in relief as he reached the foot of the stairs, smiling to himself for a job well done. "Yosh...now no one will stop me from getting that chocolate cake that's in the fridge..." he said to himself as he made his way to the kitchen with a small bounce in his steps.

Takigawa heard footsteps making their way downstairs. Flipping a page, he called out, "Sneaking a midnight snack?" He turned to see Aiba. "Aibacchin?" he finished, a plastered smile on his face.

Aiba froze on the spot. _'He wasn't supposed to be awake!'_ he thought as he slowly turned around. "I was just..." he started thinking of an excuse. "...going to get some water!" he said as he slowly stepped back towards the Kitchen.

Takigawa sighed and marked his book before he rose to his feet, turning to Aiba. "Mou, if you wanted something, you could've just asked... Besides, _you_ still have those ribs to worry about..." he said sternly. "Don't go walking around like this or you'll be stuck in bed for the rest of your healing process." He took a moment to let the words sink in before adding, "I'm serious."

Aiba stopped and pouted. "But even if I asked for it I'm sure that I wouldn't get it..." he said childishly. He looked up at Takigawa. "Kime-nii said that I'm not allowed to have any of the cake in the fridge for the next few days but that cake will be expired soon and if I don't get some while he's still asleep then I won't get any at all!" he explained in a rush. He then realized how stupid and childish he sounded and turned red. "G…Gomen…" he added quietly.

Takigawa sighed. "Head back to the room, Aibacchin..." he said, slowly moving towards the kitchen. "We can always get a freshly baked cake when okaasan allows you to have some," he added, passing Aiba and patted him on the shoulder before heading inside to get himself a glass of water.

Aiba sighed sadly. _'So much for planning...'_ he said as he moved to go back upstairs. He paused when he reached the foot of the stairs and smirked. _'Then again...there's always tomorrow night.'_

Takigawa drained the glass before hearing Aiba heading up as he set the glass in the sink and moved to the fridge. _'Cake, huh?'_ he thought to himself before pulling the box out and examining it. The expiration date was 2 days from now. _'No wonder Aibacchin wanted to eat it up...'_ he told himself, shaking his head and opened the box. About a fourth of the cake was still there. He closed his eyes, contemplating what to do before deciding. Closing the box, he re-arranged it back in the fridge before he left the kitchen. _'I'll have to talk this over with Kimeru in the morning...'_ he told himself as he patted the sleeping Pearl on the head before he retreated to bed upstairs.

-break-

Kimeru was the first one to get up; he smiled fondly at Takigawa before kissing him on the cheek. "I'll just be downstairs..." he said as he got up. Takigawa groaned in reply, shifting in bed to find a better position. Kimeru was disoriented for a few seconds upon realization that he wasn't in their room, in their house. "Oh yeah..." he muttered as he remembered.

-break-

Aiba, in the meantime, was still asleep since he _did_ wake up in the middle of the night for a little adventure.

Shirota yawned as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes before looking around. He spotted Aiba sleeping beside him before he turned and looked at the time that read 8:28. _'He should be up at this time...'_ he thought to himself before shrugging.

-break-

Kimeru moved around the kitchen, preparing breakfast for four people. After doing so he fed the pets of the household, and stopped at the guinea pigs. "A-re? Aren't there supposed to be five of you?" he said.

-break-

Upstairs, Momo had managed to get up on Shirota and Aiba's bed and was currently under Shirota's shirt, nibbling on it.

Shirota made to try and get more sleep before a shuffling from underneath his shirt startled him. "A-re? What's-" The little fluff ball that was Momo rode up Shirota's chest and popped out from underneath the cloth. "Ah! Momo!" he exclaimed before the guinea pig settled on the pillow by Shirota's neck, nuzzling him affectionately. "No, not-!" he tried before he burst out laughing, which immediately turned into a fit of coughs as the door burst open.

Aiba woke up immediately to the sound of Shirota coughing. "Yuu?" he said as he looked at him and spotted Momo, reaching out with his right hand to grab the little creature.

"What happened?" Takigawa demanded as he stepped into the room, moving up to Shirota's bedside.

Shirota managed to control himself as he brought a hand to his chest, coughs still emitting form him still as he pointed to Momo. "Got me to laugh..." he said in between coughs.

Aiba frowned as he looked at Momo who gave off a small squeak. "I don't know how he got out..." Aiba said.

Takigawa nodded and outstretched his hand. "I'll take him back downstairs..." he said, taking Momo, rubbing Shirota's head, messing his hair up before he turned and made his way to the door. "I expect Kimeru's already had breakfast made. Since you're already awake, try not going back to sleep anymore," he called before he went downstairs.

"Hai, tou-san..." Aiba said as he yawned. "...I'm putting the blame on a certain someone for this...and it's not you," he muttered darkly.

Shirota fixed his hair before he turned to Aiba, frowning. "Blame who for what?" he asked.

Aiba gestured to the both of them. "This..." he said. "We can't even move around freely..." he said. "And how long do we have to stay like this? Months?"

-break-

Seeing Kimeru looking around the living room, Takigawa moved to the guinea pigs' cage. "Looking for someone?" he asked, holding Momo up before depositing him inside and closed the cage securely.

Kimeru looked up. "Where did you find him?" he asked.

"In their room... He was making a fuss with Shirota..." Takigawa explained, stifling a yawn. "The two are awake... Is breakfast ready?" he asked off-handedly.

Kimeru nodded. "Hai, it's on the trays on the table," he said.

Takigawa looked over to the table and nodded, yawning again. "Let's bring it up to the kids..." he said, moving to the table.

Kimeru nodded as he took the other tray.

-break-

Shirota furrowed his eyebrows. "Hiroki..." he began.

"While I'm not really complaining with Kime-nii and Eiji-nii's treatment, I just can't help but think that this is so unfair for all of us! I mean look...no matter what they say, it's as if we're newborns..." Aiba said. "I'm sorry Yuu…but it's just..."

-break-

Takigawa took hold of a tray and headed upstairs to the room and was about to push it open when he overheard what Aiba had said before sighing to himself.

-break-

Shirota chewed on his lip as he looked away, bringing a hand to his injured shoulder. "Hiroki..." he began again. "All this... It was all a misunderstanding, wasn't it...? And... If we _were_ free to do what we pleased... we'd only be prolonging the injuries we have now, wouldn't we?"

Aiba nodded. "Yes it was...but still...I can't stand this..." he said. Aiba had always been a free spirit; his career as a dancer proved this. He wasn't used to being tied down like this. He looked at his arm and sighed. "You know what, Yuu? Forget about what I said...I was just ranting like an idiot," he said softly.

-break-

"What's wrong?" Kimeru asked as he reached Takigawa and stopped behind him.

Takigawa looked back over to Kimeru and muttered, "You're going to need to talk to them about the situation, kaasan... Seems one of them is a bit disheartened with staying in one place..."

Kimeru's eyebrows furrowed. "Which one?" he asked.

Takigawa moved to push open the door. "Aibacchin," he replied before entering the room, putting on a smile. "Saa, breakfast is here!"

-break-

Shirota sighed. "I know how you feel... You're not used to staying put like this, right?" Aiba nodded sadly. Shirota turned to the door and heaved a sigh. "It looks good," he commented, forcing a smile himself.

Aiba looked at the two before looking away, "I'm not hungry..." he said.

Kimeru sighed. "Come on, Hiro, you need to eat," he said as he sat down on the chair beside the bed.

"Gomen, Kime-nii...but I'm just not-"

"Hiroki. If you want to get your strength back and help your body heal, YOU. WILL. EAT," Kimeru said firmly.

Aiba looked at him in surprise. "H-Hai…" he answered.

Both Takigawa and Shirota turned to Kimeru, the latter of the two swallowing his first serving of food. The two Tezuka actors saw the hidden aura flowing out from the first Fuji actor as they were struck with a unanimous thought: "Do not cross him."

"Aibacchin..." Takigawa called as he gave Shirota another serving of pancakes; the younger boy chewed it with care. "You'd do anything to recover, right?"

Aiba nodded. "Of course I would," he answered as Kimeru started to feed him.

"Then just listen to us and rest..." Kimeru said. "...Besides...if we see some progress with you and Shirotan, and if the doctor would allow it, we still have our trip to Hokkaido, remember?" Aiba's eyes lit up when he remembered this as Kimeru chuckled. "See? So a little more patience, alright?" Kimeru said and Aiba smiled.

"Hai, Kime-nii," Aiba replied enthusiastically, and things went on more smoothly from there.

+++December 17, 2006+++

A month had passed before Takigawa called up Dr. Makoto to come and visit and see how Shirota and Aiba were coming along with their injuries. Said doctor arrived at the doorstep after lunch as Takigawa showed the man in and upstairs into the room. He asked both of the injured boys some questions on how they were feeling and what they've been doing since their stay in the hospital. When all was said and done, Dr. Makoto asked Takigawa and Kimeru to come into the room so that he could give his analysis.

"So how are they?" Takigawa asked.

Makoto gave him a reassuring smile. "Their injuries are healing nicely. Their ribs have gotten stronger now from what I could deduce, so it's fine for them to move around without much worry."

"Ne, sensei, would it be alright if we brought them out of town?" Kimeru asked as he looked at the two.

Makoto looked over to the two on the bed before nodding to Kimeru. "Aa. As long as Shirota-kun doesn't involve himself in any sort of activity that might further damage his leg and Aiba-kun doesn't do something reckless regardless if he can already walk around, I don't see the reason why they can't," he replied.

Kimeru smiled and bowed politely. "Hear that you two?" he said as he looked at Shirota and Aiba.

Aiba was already smiling widely at this. "Hai~" he answered.

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Makoto-sensei," Takigawa said, bowing before showing him out.

Shirota smiled half-heartedly. "Off to Hokkaido, na?" he asked.

"A-re?" Kimeru said. "You don't seem too enthusiastic about it, Shiropon… Is there something wrong?" he asked. Aiba, who also noticed this, turned to look at Shirota.

Shirota looked down at his hand before shaking his head. "It's nothing," he replied, forcing a smile.

Kimeru nodded. "Alright then," he said as he followed Takigawa and saw Dr. Makoto out.

Aiba noticed the fake smile on Shirota's face but said nothing of it for the meantime; he waited until the three left the room before addressing it. "Yuu...what's wrong?" he asked.

"I told you, it's nothing..." Shirota replied; his smile fading as he watched the door close behind Kimeru.

Aiba sighed as he realized that Shirota won't be talking about it anytime soon. "If you say so…" he said as he raised his left arm to look at it. "I just had the strangest idea..." he suddenly said.

Shirota gave Aiba a side-glance before inwardly sighing and closed his eyes. "What is it? Your strange idea..." he asked. _'I was looking forward to going to Hokkaido... Learning how to ski... having fun in the snow... But this leg isn't going to let me do any of those... It'll just keep me inside like right now... How annoying...'_ he thought in his head, groaning angrily to himself.

Aiba grinned. "I was just thinking of asking you to sign my cast...so that we can put it up for auction afterwards," he said. He then looked at Shirota. "Don't you think it would be interesting to go to Hokkaido, even if we won't be skiing much? I'm sure that a change of scenery would do us some good. After all..." he said as he chuckled. "This would mean that we could actually have time to ourselves since Kaa-san and Tou-san would be out for some periods of time," he explained. "So cheer up, okay? Besides...once we're out of these darn casts I'm going to drag you to wherever to teach you how to ski and do what we want. That's a promise!"

Shirota shook his head. "Of all the ideas you've had..." he started but waved it off. His eyes shot open, however when Aiba had begun talking about Hokkaido and skiing as he turned to the younger boy and frowned. "At the rate we're going, you'd probably be able to do that _next_ year..."

"I don't mind. I still get to do it with you, anyway," Aiba said with a smile.

Shirota nodded. "Aa... I suppose you're right..."

Takigawa re-entered the room, rubbing his hands together. "It's a bit _too_ cold," he protested.

Aiba blinked. "Cold?" he asked as he looked at Takigawa. "I feel fine...maybe you're catching something, tou- I mean Eiji-nii..." he said.

-break-

Kimeru, who was downstairs, turned up the thermostat again and nodded to himself. "So that's how it works..." he said happily as he went over to play with the guinea pigs.

"It's snowing again outside..." Takigawa explained, jerking a thumb towards the window.

Shirota turned to the window. "It's that time of the year, huh?" he asked. Pausing for a moment, he exhaled before exclaiming, "Let's get ourselves ready for Hokkaido, then!"

A small smile crept up Takigawa's mouth as he nodded.

Aiba smiled at Shirota's reaction. "Hai~" he said in agreement.

Kimeru who had just arrived with Momo and Echizen on his shoulders, chuckled at the sight. "Glad to see that you two finally have some spunk in you again," he said with a smile.

Aiba eyed the two guinea pigs as they hopped on the bed and stopped at Shirota's side. "Don't worry, I think they know what not to do now," Kimeru said. Aiba continued to observe the two as they just sat there, staring at Shirota. Shirota looked over to the two, at a loss at what to do with them.

"So nobody has any more complaints on going to Hokkaido, then?" Takigawa inquired.

Shirota looked over to Takigawa and shook his head before returning his attention to Momo and Echizen for a moment before turning to Aiba. "Will we be bringing them along with us?" he asked hesitantly.

Aiba thought for a moment, "I don't think we can...there's a big chance of them getting lost if we take them along," he reasoned.

Kimeru looked at the two and smiled. "I think I have the solution to that," he said as he pulled out his phone and dialed a number. After a few moments of talking with the person on the other line he ended the call. "Problem solved. Minami and Sakurada will take care of them...if you don't mind, that is."

Shirota furrowed his eyebrows. "Minami... and Sakurada?" he repeated.

"It's not as if you still hold a grudge against them, do you?" Takigawa inquired as Shirota shook his head in reply.

"I'm just..." Shirota paused and cleared his throat. "Minami's family paid for our hospital expenses... we'd be asking too much from them already..."

Kimeru shook his head. "It's fine, don't worry...besides...he was the one who offered back when you two were in the hospital...remember when I went out to get some breakfast?" he asked.

_**Kimeru sighed as he looked around the food establishments just outside of the hospital. "At this rate...chances that we won't be able to go to Hokkaido at all is pretty big..." he muttered to himself as he walked towards one shop.**_

_**"I'm sure that there's still a chance that they can go, senpai," a voice from behind him said as Kimeru stopped and turned around.**_

_**"A-re? Sakurada-kun?" he asked.**_

_**Sakurada nodded at him. "Hai. Keisuke and I just finished arranging for the medical expenses of Aiba-senpai and Shirota-senpai."**_

_**"Aa... We would want to thank you for that," Kimeru said.**_

_**"It's nothing, senpai...after all, this was our fault as well," he said before pausing. "Moving on...why did you say that your trip to...Hokkaido...would have to be cancelled?" he asked.**_

_**Kimeru sighed again. "Well...for one thing, they won't be able to enjoy the environment around them because of their injuries...and another would be...well...our pets."**_

_**"You have pets?"**_

_**"Shirota and Aiba have 5 guinea pigs while Eiji and I have a dog and a rabbit. With them coming with us it'll turn out to be a pet babysitting more than a vacation," Kimeru said.**_

_**Sakurada paused for a minute. "Aha~ Why don't you just leave them with us, senpai?" he suggested.**_

_**"Er…no... That would be too much trouble for you, Sakurada-kun," Kimeru told him.**_

_**"No senpai, I insist... Shirota-senpai and Aiba-senpai...this trip would be beneficial for them and their recovery."**_

_**Kimeru agreed to this with a nod. "Are you sure...?"**_

_**"Positive!"**_

Takigawa looked over to Kimeru. "And you didn't bother telling me about this why?" he asked.

"Sakurada-kun insisted?" Shirota repeated before chuckling. "Well... If that's the case..."

Kimeru grinned. "I never had the opportunity to?" he said slyly. "In any case...everything is set. Transportation...well…I hope none of you get air sick."

Aiba paled. "W-We're going to take a plane?" he asked.

Kimeru shook his head and Aiba sighed in relief. Kimeru smirked. "We're taking a _private_ plane."

Shirota's head snapped to face Kimeru. "Majikayo?"

"We've been planning this for quite some time now. Don't be surprised. After all, the powers of a famous J-Pop singer know no bounds," Takigawa explained with a light smirk towards Kimeru.

Kimeru hit Takigawa's shoulder playfully. "I just thought it would be better and faster," he said.

Aiba smiled. "I don't know what to say other than thank you, Kime-nii...Eiji-nii," he said.

Kimeru smiled. "Don't say thanks just yet, Hiro. Wait till we reach Hokkaido," he told the younger Fuji actor.

Takigawa burst out laughing. "Next stop, Hokkaido!" he declared.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED :D

We look forward to your reviews and possible suggestions. :)


	10. Holiday in Hokkaido

**Title:** Anything for You

**Author/Artist:** snooperj & Bloodysamurai

**Series/Pairing(s):** TeniMyu; Mainly Takigawa Eiji x Kimeru & Shirota Yuu x Aiba Hiroki

**Notes:** Here is the 10th chapter entitled **Holiday in Hokkaido**. This chapter focuses on the quartet's arrival and stay in Hokkaido up until Christmas Eve. This chapter runs from December 23 to December 24, 2006.

**ALSO! None of the authors of this roleplay/fanfic own TeniMyu or the actors, but are mere fangirls of the musical series and corresponding actors we write about. Everything that progresses in the story is the creation of our witty imaginations.

* * *

+++December 23, 2006+++

The next few days were spent packing for their trip among other things. On December 23, the quartet was on their way to the airport for an early morning flight to Hokkaido. It wasn't long before they had finally settled themselves down in the private plane that was minutes away from taking off.

Takigawa straightened up after assisting Shirota into a seat and brought up the foot rest for his leg, snapping the seatbelt in place before taking his own seat.

As soon as Aiba was seated beside Shirota he shut his eyes. "What's wrong Hiro?" Kimeru asked as he went over to his own seat and strapped himself in.

"Nothing," Aiba answered quickly.

Shirota turned to Aiba and took his hand and squeezed it gently. "It'll be fine," he whispered so that only Aiba could hear him. "I'm here..."

"I...hate heights..." Aiba muttered.

Kimeru sighed as he leaned on Takigawa's shoulder. "Once we're in the air, I think I better keep an eye on Hirohiro…" he said.

Takigawa nodded. "It would be best, I suppose..." he replied as the plane began to take off.

Shirota brought a hand up and pulled Aiba's head to lean on his shoulder. "It'll be alright," he said again.

Aiba just nodded; when he felt the movement of a plane taking off he subconsciously shut his eyes tighter.

-break-

After a few minutes in the air, Kimeru removed his seatbelt and kneeled on the chair to check on the other two behind them. "Kawaii~" he said quietly. "Eiji, quick! Hand me my camera!" he said.

Startled for a moment, Takigawa moved forward and pulled out Kimeru's camera from their carry-on and handed it to him. "What are you going-" he paused and took off his seatbelt as well to look over to the two.

"Cute aren't they?" Kimeru said as he turned off the flash and adjusted the view of the camera. "There we go..." he said as he took the picture before sitting down properly again. "Here, look," he said as he showed the picture to Takigawa.

Takigawa took his seat once more before taking the camera and looking at the picture. It had displayed Shirota and Aiba presumably sleeping, with Aiba resting his head on Shirota's shoulder. Takigawa chuckled softly. "Shirota finds sleep so easily, doesn't he?" he commented.

Indeed, Shirota had dozed off as soon as the plane was in the air, keeping Aiba's head to his shoulder to somehow calm him down. Aiba fell asleep along the way and was oblivious to the fact that Kimeru had gotten a picture of them.

Kimeru chuckled. "I guess that solves our problem for now…" he said.

"It's only a short flight, after all. They'll probably wake up when we've already landed," Takigawa stated, replacing his seatbelt.

-break-

After an hour and a half the plane had landed. Kimeru looked out the window and made a sound of approval when the pilot had confirmed that the car he had requested had managed to get to the airport and were just waiting for them at the exit. "Alright, let's wake them up," he said as he moved to the other two. "Hiro...Shiropon...wake up, it's time to get off," he said.

Takigawa nodded and began unloading the luggage from the overhead compartments.

Shirota stirred, rubbing his eyes. "We're here..?" he inquired sleepily.

"Hai," Kimeru answered as he saw Aiba open his eyes sleepily. "You made it, Hirohiro..." he teased.

Aiba pouted. "We're back on the ground?" he asked as Kimeru nodded.

-break-

The group was helped by the airport staff to the car. "Just thirty more minutes and then we're at the rest house," Kimeru said as he got in the car...or rather...van along with the rest.

Shirota leaned on the side of the car, his leg resting on Takigawa's lap. "So what are we going to do first when we get settled in the rest house?" he asked.

"I would suggest that you two rest while Eiji and I arrange our things," Kimeru said. "And then maybe we could look around," he suggested.

Aiba looked at Kimeru for a moment. "Look around?"

Kimeru nodded. "The rest house is a bit far from town. Count on Moriyama to choose a secluded area."

"In the meantime, don't overexert yourself too much while we're fixing up the place," Takigawa added. "We don't want anything bad to happen to you two while we're here in Hokkaido," he explained.

"Hai," Aiba answered quietly.

-break-

After half an hour they had arrived at the place. Takigawa and Kimeru had helped the two into the living room before attending to the baggage. "Woah...Moriyama wasn't kidding when he said that he was going to prepare the place..." Kimeru said as he checked the refrigerator.

Takigawa moved into the kitchen for a peek before grinning. "Well, as expected of Moriyama," Takigawa said with a nod of approval as he looked over to the living room for a moment before turning to Kimeru. "Na, Kime-kun..." he asked in a whisper.

"What is it, Eiji?" Kimeru asked as he turned to look at Takigawa.

"We should have a little chat with Aibacchin... About someone's upcoming birthday..." Takigawa explained, gesturing to the living room.

Kimeru nodded. "Yeah, with Shiropon's birthday just around the corner and their current situation I think we should do something special," he said. "...besides playing dress-up with Hirohiro again, that is," he added slyly.

Takigawa chuckled. "Aa. We should. We'll talk about it later. Shirota's sure to have an afternoon nap later with his body clock being the way it is..." he explained.

-break-

Aiba sighed as he leaned back on the couch and looked around. He saw a plasma TV and a few CDs on a shelf. "Moriyama-senpai really prepared..."

Shirota nodded in agreement. "But it's great, isn't it?" he asked with a grin.

Aiba nodded as he stood and looked at the various DVDs. "I think the movies here were the ones showing since 3 years ago...and it's all in alphabetical order...for someone who plays Momo he sure is organized…" he said. "Anything you'd like to watch while passing the time?" he asked.

Shirota rubbed the back of his head. "You choose, then. I'm fine watching anything," he replied.

Aiba thought for a moment before looking at the DVDs. "How about this-a-re?" He was cut off when he saw a card sticking out of a case. He took out the DVD and smiled. "Yuu~ it's your _**'June Bride'**_ movie!" he said.

Shirota blinked. "Huh?" he inquired, dumbfounded for a moment before stuttering, "Why does Moriyama-senpai..."

Aiba managed to figure out how to turn on the TV and the DVD player before placing the movie in. "There we go!" he said as he sat back down on the couch, wincing a bit. _'Shouldn't have moved around that much...'_ he thought.

Shirota looked over to Aiba. "You alright?" he asked, worried.

"I'm fine," Aiba answered reassuringly.

-break-

Kimeru chuckled. "Now all we have to do is to lure Hirohiro to us..." he said.

Takigawa patted Kimeru on the shoulder. "I'll leave that to you," he said. "Now, I'm off to take care of the rest of the baggage."

Kimeru nodded. "Sure...Let me see what I can make for lunch while you're at it."

-break-

Takigawa returned from the kitchen and went to retrieve the bags and bring them to the rooms. Noticing the TV, he smirked. "What're you two watching?" he asked.

Aiba smiled. "June Bride!" he answered happily.

Takigawa smirked, looking over to Shirota for a moment before nodding. "I see. Well, enjoy the movie, Aibacchin!" he called before bringing the luggage over to the rooms.

Shirota watched as Takigawa left before diverting his attention to the TV as the movie began.

"Hai~~" Aiba said as he turned his attention to the movie.

-break-

Shirota, about a third way into the movie, fell asleep, more due to lack of sleep from the night before than their 90 minute trip from Tokyo to Hokkaido.

Takigawa had just returned from the rooms when he noticed that Shirota had fallen asleep before sneaking away into the kitchen. "Oi, Shiropon's asleep," he whispered.

Kimeru nodded. "Now we get Hirohiro."

-break-

Meanwhile, back in Tokyo, Minami and Sakurada were experiencing first-hand how to take care of the group of guinea pigs. "Tezuka! Get back here!" Minami yelled as he chased Momo who ducked under a table.

"Keisuke...that one's Momo not Tezuka," Sakurada told him.

"But he looks like Tezuka!" Minami argued.

-break-

Takigawa smirked. "Aa." He moved to the living room and took up the remote and paused the movie. "Aibacchin," he called out quietly so as not to wake Shirota. He gestured the boy to come with him to the kitchen.

Aiba blinked and stood up, careful not to wake Shirota. "What is it, Eiji-nii?" he asked.

Takigawa moved Aiba back into the kitchen before speaking. "It's about Shiropon's birthday..." he began.

"Oh..." Aiba said as he smiled. "I already have my gift for him, actually...but I'm guessing that you and Kime-nii still want to plan something for his birthday," he said.

Kimeru nodded. "And we would like to ask you for a few suggestions."

"If it's alright with you, that is..." Takigawa added as an afterthought. "Given what you two have gone through recently... It will take more than a well-cooked meal or a surprise to get him to appreciate the day without regrets..."

Aiba thought for a moment and came up with nothing. "What do you have in mind, Eiji-nii?" he asked.

Kimeru looked outside. "Want to do a post-Christmas performance?" he asked.

"Performance?" Takigawa repeated, turning to Kimeru. "What are you talking about?"

"We could present something for Shiropon~ like his own personal TeniMyu," Kimeru said.

Aiba thought about it for a while. "Sounds like a plan."

Takigawa considered it for a moment. "We have roughly 2 days to prepare that, though..." he stated.

"With our experience on Myu I think we can pull it off," Kimeru said with a smile.

Aiba nodded. "I agree with that idea. What can we do?"

-break-

In the living room, Shirota stirred momentarily and rubbed his eyes, adjusting himself on the couch and looked around. "A-re?" His eyes focusing, he found that Aiba was gone and the movie was paused. "Hiroki?" he called. "Where'd you go?"

-break-

"Well-" Takigawa began before he turned to the living room. "Shimatta... He woke up..."

"I'll take care of Yuu for now, you can plan ahead," Aiba said as he went back out. "Right here, Yuu," he said as he approached Shirota and smiled as he kissed him on the cheek. "Is my sleeping beauty finally awake?" he asked slyly.

-break-

Kimeru sighed. "Let's see... What can we do?" he asked.

Takigawa began his train of thought. "It's a bit difficult to figure out what Shirota likes to see..."

"Definitely something with Aiba in it, I'm sure," Kimeru said with a sigh. "I wonder what else though."

-break-

Shirota yawned. "Not fully, but I was just worried where you went off to..." he complained.

"I just went to dig around in the kitchen. Lunch will be a while though," he said as he sat back down beside Shirota. Aiba looked at Shirota for a moment before saying, "Ne, Yuu...what kinds of stuff are you interested in watching? Or...maybe things you'd like to...let's say...roleplay," he asked.

"Hmm?" Shirota asked distractedly, giving out another yawn. "Roleplay?" he closed his eyes in thought for a moment. "E-to... I always like watching comedy shows..." he offered.

Aiba chuckled. "Comedy huh..." he said, storing the data for future reference.

Kimeru then stepped out of the kitchen. "Lunch is ready you two..." he said.

Takigawa followed and brought a tray out. "Why don't we all eat here in the living room for a change?" he requested, grinning over to Shirota. "That way we can eat together."

Shirota pouted. "You don't have to just because of me..." he protested.

"Don't mind it, Shiropon!" Takigawa replied, setting the tray down on the coffee table. "I insist."

Aiba smiled as he moved to stand. "Don't even think about it, Hiro," Kimeru said as he balanced a tray on each hand and placed them on the table in the middle of the living room. Aiba sighed. "I hope you like what I made; Moriyama literally stocked the fridge with everything I could think of."

"You can feed yourself now, of course," Takigawa teased, handing a bowl of rice and a pair of chopsticks to Shirota. "Help yourselves to a serving of Kimeru's cooking," he offered before sitting down and grabbing a bowl himself.

Kimeru handed Aiba's own pair of chopsticks before sitting down on the other side. "Let's see how you fair this time, Hiro," he said.

"I can do it," Aiba said with a grin. "I'm a right-handed person, after all," he said and Kimeru laughed. Shirota chuckled, breaking the sticks in half and downed the food eagerly.

-break-

After lunch, Takigawa insisted once more that he be the one to do the dishes and hurried to the kitchen with the empty plates and bowls before Kimeru could protest.

Shirota moved himself to sit up slightly to get a better position before wincing. "Stupid leg..." he muttered.

Kimeru frowned. "He seems to have gotten my pattern..." he muttered before facing the two. "I've heard that there's a certain massage that can help with that…" he said. "But your leg is in the cast so we can't do that..." Aiba studied the situation for a moment before sighing. "I know! Why don't we take a walk outside? There's a wheelchair somewhere here that's been modified for snowy grounds," Kimeru said.

"There is?" Aiba asked.

"Yanagi is more accident prone than any of us thought..." Kimeru said with a chuckle.

"After the car accident, he was getting himself into quite a few minor accidents..." Shirota explained. "That guy... Even when we were working on Hice Cool..."

"Dishes are done!" Takigawa announced, re-entering the living room.

"So that's why Moriyama had a modified wheelchair..." Aiba said.

Kimeru nodded. "Ah, and that's why and how Shiropon will be able to come out with us," he said. "So shall we take a look at what's outside?" he asked.

Shirota blushed and scratched his cheek distractedly. "Sorry for the trouble..." he muttered.

Takigawa moved to the closet and wheeled out the said wheelchair before moving to Shirota. "It's fine. Saa, iku yo," he said brightly, gingerly helping Shirota from the couch and to the wheelchair, adjusting it so that Shirota's foot stays elevated. "Yosh! We're ready to leave!" he exclaimed once he had secured Shirota to the chair so that he wouldn't fall off.

Aiba smiled. "Hai~" he answered as he eagerly stood up.

Kimeru chuckled. "Let's go then!" As soon as they were out they were greeted by the sight of mountains covered in snow in the distance. "Wonderful isn't it?" Kimeru said.

"Aa..." Takigawa agreed as his gloved hands grasped the handles of Shirota's wheelchair. "It's not very often that we see a sight like this."

Shirota nodded, rubbing his own gloved hands together. "Too bad we don't get to have our fun in the snow, though... I wanted to make a snowman!"

"We can still do that-" Kimeru was cut off when a snowball made contact with his face. "WHO THE HECK DID THAT?" he yelled. Aiba was laughing evilly at the sidelines. "I'm going to get you for that!" Kimeru said as he grabbed a handful of snow and chased Aiba.

Aiba passed Shirota and Takigawa. "Kime-nii is such a poor sport!" he said as he hid behind the two. "Go and get him Eiji-nii!" he said as he pushed Takigawa with his free hand and took hold of Shirota's wheelchair.

Takigawa was pushed forward before a snowball was thrown to his face by Kimeru by accident. Wiping it off, he bent over and took a handful of snow himself. "Oi, Kime-kun!" he called, smirking as he moved to run after the younger man.

Shirota blinked before laughing heartily. "I-ke, Eiji-nii!" he cheered.

Kimeru made a little 'eep' sound and ran away. "Aah! Eiji! Not the-" he was cut off again as a snow ball hit his head…and most importantly, his hair… "THIS MEANS WAR!" he proclaimed as he grabbed another handful of snow and threw it at Takigawa. Kimeru could hear the two laughing at their little activity and grinned. _'At least the mood is getting lighter,' _he thought as he continued to bombard Takigawa with snowballs.

Takigawa was finding it a bit difficult to avoid and make snowballs of his own, and so decided to just be on the defensive. It wasn't long before he found himself half-buried in snow after all the snowballs thrown his way by Kimeru and, for a time, Aiba and Shirota as well.

"A-re? Eiji-nii's half-buried in snow..." Shirota pointed out.

Aiba grinned. "And I don't think Kime-nii notices…" he added.

After a while Kimeru had stopped his assault and walked over to them. "Where did Eiji run off to?" he asked.

"E...Eto..." Aiba started before Kimeru looked at a figure near them.

"Hey, that's a very realistic snowman you two managed to create...though a bit unproportional...matte... don't tell me that Eiji was building that while I was trying to hit him!" Kimeru said.

Aiba smiled nervously. "A-no...that's actually Eiji-nii," he said.

Kimeru's eyes widened. "EIJI!" he exclaimed as he proceeded to 'dig out' the first generation Tezuka actor.

-break-

Speaking of Tezuka, we would like to turn your attention back in Tokyo...

"TEZUKA! FUJI! GET OUT FROM UNDER THE BED!" Minami yelled.

Sakurada sighed; this had been going on the whole day.

"ECHIZEN! STOP NIBBLING ON MY SHIRT!"

Sakura laid back and just let his boyfriend run around the house.

"KUNISUKE! AREN'T YOU EVEN GOING TO HELP ME?"

Sakurada heard a squeak before he turned his attention to the animal by his foot that he quickly recognized as Kunisuke. He chuckled and picked the guinea pig up. "You're used to this, aren't you?" he asked as Kunisuke answered with a squeak and moved to rest on his shoulder.

-break-

"Yabai..." Shirota stated as Takigawa was unearthed from the snow, shivering. "We should head back inside... Eiji-nii needs to get warm quickly..." he instructed.

As soon as they got inside, with Kimeru assisting Takigawa as Aiba managed to get Shirota in on his own, Kimeru immediately let Takigawa sit in front of the fireplace and removed his jacket and shirt before running upstairs to retrieve a thick blanket and a new shirt. After Kimeru helped Takigawa in the shirt and draped the blanket around him he kneeled beside him. "I'm so sorry!" he said for the tenth time.

Aiba smiled. "That was the fastest I have seen Kime-nii move..." he whispered to Shirota. "You know, Kime-nii...they said that it would help if you share body heat," he added slyly. "Isn't that right, Yuu?"

Shirota turned to Aiba before hesitantly nodding. "A...Aa. It helps the body take in heat faster..."

Takigawa, still shivering, managed to say, "I...It's fine..." through gritted teeth.

Kimeru looked back and forth between Takigawa and Shirota and Aiba. "Alright! I'll do it!" Kimeru said as he stood up and removed his shirt.

"Kime-nii is actually a man?" Aiba exclaimed, earning a glare from Kimeru as he joined Takigawa under the blanket.

"Better?" he asked as he moved closer to Takigawa, a blush on his cheeks. Takigawa slowly turned to Kimeru and managed a stiff nod.

"Hiroki..." Shirota scolded. "That isn't necessary..." he stated.

Aiba sighed. "It was to get Kime-nii to do what he should...you did notice that he was stalling, didn't you?" he asked.

Kimeru sighed as he placed his arms around Takigawa. "If you get sick, this will be all my fault…" he muttered. "I'm sorry…"

Takigawa welcomed the heat from both Kimeru and the fire before he managed to say, "Baka... If I get sick here, it'd... it'd ruin the whole point of coming to Hokkaido..."

Shirota smiled. "Eiji-nii..."

"We wanted... wanted this trip to be a memorable one... Not just for us... but for them as well..." Takigawa continued, looking over his shoulder at Shirota and Aiba, nodding over to them.

Aiba smiled as well as he nodded to Shirota and brought him over to the two. "Eiji-nii...as long as the four of us will be together on this, I highly doubt that it won't be memorable," he said as he placed his free arm around the two.

Shirota nodded in agreement, hesitating for a moment before he began taking off the straps that held him to the wheelchair.

"Shirotan..." Takigawa started as he saw what he was doing.

Shirota smiled before grasping both armrests of the chair and slid off, easing himself onto the floor while minding his leg, using his upper body strength and his other leg for balance and support.

"Be careful!" Takigawa scolded lightly as Shirota managed to sit himself down on the floor without much difficultly, cracking a smile.

"It's fine. We're not totally helpless, you know," Shirota pointed out.

Aiba nodded in agreement. "That's right, and we have the both of you to thank for that," he added as he moved a bit to accommodate Shirota who joined them.

Kimeru smiled; he felt his eyes tear up from the little scene they were having and just placed his head on Takigawa's shoulder which was conveniently hid by the blanket around them.

"You've been taking care of us for a month now..." Shirota started reminiscently. "Reminds me of the time you got into an argument... All of us were there for each other... Supporting one another... Helping one another get through a crisis... Even until now..."

Aiba nodded. "Even during the time we were already released from the hospital...the way that you two stepped in without hesitation to help us…even if you say that it was partly gratitude it-"

"Stop it with the mushy stuff and just come here, you two!" Kimeru said, looking up as he pulled Shirota and Aiba into an embrace as well, mindful of their injuries. Aiba chuckled.

Shirota grinned as Takigawa brought a hand up and messed up the boy's hair and doing the same with Aiba. "That's because... you guys... you guys are just too reckless that _somebody _needs to look after your well-being!" Takigawa pointed out with a light chuckle.

Aiba smiled. "Ah, and that's why you and Kime-nii are officially tou-san and kaa-san!" he said with a grin as he smoothed down his hair again.

Kimeru grinned. "For some reason, I don't mind."

"Neither do I," Takigawa replied.

"Eh? Maji?" Shirota asked, dumbfounded.

Kimeru grinned. "Looks like we got ourselves two very mischievous kids now, Eiji," he said.

Aiba pouted. "We're not mischievous..."he said.

"Of course you're not…" Kimeru said as he placed a hand on his head and ruffled his hair, causing him to pout some more.

Takigawa laughed at the sight before looking over to Shirota, who had fallen asleep for the second time that day on his lap. He chuckled and tapped Kimeru on the shoulder. "Look..." he said quietly, grinning.

Kimeru wanted to get his camera and thought against it. "Just let him sleep..." he said as he stood up and went upstairs to retrieve two more blankets and three pillows. After draping one of the blankets on Shirota he sat back down next to Takigawa as he handed him a pillow and looked at Aiba. "Come on, Hiro," he said as he patted the space between him and Takigawa. Aiba smiled widely as he moved over to lie down between the two. Kimeru grinned as laid down as well, resting his head on one of the pillows he brought down and helped Takigawa adjust Shirota so he laid his head on the other. "I think the four of us should get some rest before dinner…" he said as he pulled Aiba to an embrace, careful not to jostle his arm. Aiba moved closer gratefully, simply making a sound of approval before closing his eyes.

Takigawa nodded, slipping the pillow underneath Shirota's head before he adjusted himself to lay down as well. It wasn't long before they had all found a comfortable position to rest on the carpeted floor before all of them took a nap, following Shirota into dreamland for the next couple of hours.

+++December 24, 2006+++

Kimeru woke up due to the uncomfortable sunlight that was reflecting through the window. _'Wait...sunlight?'_ he thought as he sat up and looked around. "We missed dinner...I can't believe it..." he said to himself. He looked beside him and noticed two others under the blanket, protected from the glare of the sun. _'Two? Where's Hiroki?' _he said in panic in his mind as he registered the missing one that was supposed to be between him and Takigawa. He stood up and ran to the kitchen, where he heard a familiar voice cursing. "Hiro?" he called out.

Aiba looked up. "A-ah! Gomen kaa-san! Did I wake you?" he asked in worry as he hid a pan behind his back.

Kimeru grinned as he leaned on the doorframe. "I should have known...Come on, Hiro...if you want to help with breakfast you would have to hand me that pan..." he said.

Aiba turned red and handed the pan to Kimeru. "H-Hai..."

Kimeru chuckled as he took the pan and started on breakfast with the help of Aiba. After a few minutes they were done making pancakes and placed it on the table. "Should we wake tou-san and Yuu?" Aiba asked.

Kimeru shook his head. "I'm sure the smell of food will wake them up," he said with a chuckle.

-break-

As Kimeru had predicted, Takigawa's eyes snapped open at the smell of pancakes. He peeked out from underneath the blanket and looked around, finding Shirota fast asleep beside him. Shrugging, he adjusted the blanket over the boy before he rose to his feet and headed into the kitchen. "Ohayou~" he greeted as he took a seat at the table. "Shiropon is still fast asleep, so it's better if we not wake him up for the time being..." he answered, knowing what they were going to ask.

Kimeru nodded. "I'll just wait for him to get up then, the two of you should get started on breakfast," he said as he went over to Shirota and smiled.

Aiba looked at his food and frowned. _'Matte...for this I would need...'_ He looked at his left arm. He sighed as he grabbed the fork and stabbed his share of pancakes, not being entirely used to using a fork alone.

Takigawa eyed Kimeru as he went to the living room before the first Tezuka actor turned to Aiba and chuckled. He leaned forward and took the knife. "Shall I cut it up for you?" he inquired with a soft smile.

"Yes please..." Aiba said with a nod.

-break-

Shirota pulled the blanket over his head, groaning as he shifted himself accordingly to get a better, more comfortable position.

Kimeru watched Shirota as the boy adjusted. He then turned his attention back to the magazine he was reading.

-break-

Takigawa took a few moments to cut Aiba's pancakes into a reasonable size. "There you go," he said before looking over to the living room for a minute.

"Arigatou~" Aiba said as he started eating.

"I'll be right back." Takigawa moved into the living room and walked up Kimeru, resting his hands on the J-Pop singer's shoulders. "I did say to leave him for the time being, didn't I? He might take a while..."

Kimeru smiled at Takigawa. "It's alright, I'll wait for him," he said. "After all, when you cook sometimes you really lose your appetite altogether."

Takigawa smirked, finally nodding and gave Kimeru's shoulders a squeeze before returning to the kitchen and sitting down to enjoy his breakfast.

-break-

It was already around 8 in the morning when Aiba found himself exploring the house. He couldn't help it after all. He was currently on the second floor, looking through random doors. So far, he had managed to find a gym, a sound proof room, a game room and a small library. He reached the last door at the hallway and cautiously opened it. "What the heck?" he said as he saw what was inside.

"That looks interesting..." a voice came from behind him.

Aiba looked around and saw Kimeru smirk as he pulled out what seemed like cat ears and placed it on Aiba's head. "Mou...get it off," Aiba said as he reached up to get it but Kimeru swatted his hand away.

"Nope, you're going to wear that for the rest of the day," Kimeru said.

"No way!" Aiba protested.

"You will unless you want Shiropon to know what you were muttering about last night," Kimeru said as he whispered what Aiba had said the previous night to the younger boy, making Aiba turn red.

"Fine," Aiba said with a pout.

-break-

Downstairs in the living room, Shirota's eyes slowly opened, blinking a few times, shaking the last of his sleep away before he brought a hand up to rub his eyes.

"He finally awakens," a voice stated enthusiastically. Shirota looked over to the couch to see Takigawa sitting there. The first Tezuka actor brought a hand up. "Yo."

Shirota pushed himself up slowly. "It's morning already?"

Takigawa grinned. "You were having such a good sleep we couldn't bear to wake you," he explained. "Are you feeling alright?"

Shirota nodded, easing himself to lean back on the couch, dragging his legs along the carpet. "Aa... Just... didn't get enough sleep... That night before we left for here..." He winced as he brought his hand up to his shoulder.

Takigawa patted Shirota on the back. "Don't mind it. Saa, I've got your breakfast prepared here," he stated off-handedly, gesturing to the tray on the coffee table. "Take care of your shoulder..." he added quietly. "Your little stunt last night..."

Shirota managed a small smile. "Gomen..."

-break-

After Shirota had finished his breakfast, Kimeru arrived, half-dragging Aiba downstairs. "Look what we found!" Kimeru announced as he sported a pair of cat ears that were quite similar to Aiba's on his head.

Aiba pouted but Kimeru found it quite cute. "Aw, come on Hiro! Feel the spirit of the Christmas season for once!"

Shirota set down his chopsticks and turned to the stairs. "Christmas season?" he repeated, sounding a bit confused.

Takigawa took the tray and stood. "It's Christmas Eve tonight," he explained. "Meaning I'll be making a little feast for dinner," he added with a grin before heading into the kitchen.

"Sou ka..." Shirota said before turning his attention to the two Fuji actors, managing a grin. "Kawaii," he commented.

Kimeru grinned as he and Aiba joined Shirota in the living room. "Apparently Hiro doesn't appreciate them," he said with an evil chuckle which caused Aiba to pout some more.

"The color clashes with my hair..." Aiba muttered.

"It doesn't matter. It looks good on you," Shirota continued from his place on the floor.

A small smile formed on Aiba's lips. "Well...if you think so then I guess it's fine..." he said.

Kimeru chuckled as he ruffled Shirota's hair. "I knew that you'd manage to turn his mind around!" he said happily.

Shirota edged away from Kimeru's hand and fixed his hair slightly before exclaiming, "That's what I do!" He turned to Aiba and grinned. He paused for a moment, looking down to the floor before blurting out, "Ne... what're we doing today?"

"Hmm...I already have plans for us in the evening but before then..." Kimeru trailed off. "What do you kids want to do?" he asked.

Shirota was drawing a circle with his finger on the carpet. "I'd suggest a few things... But it's pointless since we wouldn't be able to do it with my condition..." he replied feebly. "I... I really wanted... I wanted to try skiing... This trip to Hokkaido..."

Takigawa was in the kitchen, finished drying the used items and slowly moved back into the living room before he paused, leaning against the doorframe as he listened to Shirota's speech.

"I... I want to make the most out of it... To forget what happened..." Shirota paused, reaching out to the cast on his leg. "I want to forget... But it's impossible..." Shirota chuckled. "This injury..." he continued, moving his hand from his leg to his shoulder. "I'll still blame myself for this..." he turned to Aiba with a sincere smile. "No matter what anybody says... It's... a reminder to myself to do better next time... To not be careless anymore..."

Aiba sighed as he went to sit beside Shirota and placed his uninjured arm around him. "Yuu..." he whispered.

Kimeru was thinking things over for a minute. "Hmm... I think I have an idea...Wait here for a minute..." he said as he grabbed Takigawa and pulled him to the garage.

Aiba blinked. "A-re?"

-break-

Once in the garage Kimeru started looking around. "Moriyama mentioned something about coming here when Yanagi wasn't able to walk...so he made a little project for him that Christmas..." he explained as he stopped at a certain covered vehicle. "I think this is it," he said as he pulled off the covers, revealing a snowmobile that for one reason or another had a wider seat and two adjustable leg supports. "Who knew that Moriyama could be a genius modifier?" Kimeru inquired with a smile. "What do you think? And even if I absolutely have no experience in skiing, I know how to run this thing." He paused for a moment. "As for Hiro..." he said as he smirked at Takigawa. "I think we can still do something for him."

Takigawa smirked, pulling Kimeru into an embrace, kissing him on the cheek. "You're a little genius yourself, you know that?" he stated. He looked over to the snowmobile and nodded. "This is good... Either way... He'll be able to come outside with us, that Shirota... As for Aiba..." he paused before chuckling. "There _is_ something we can do." Takigawa looked through the equipment in the garage.

-break-

Shirota's eyes followed Kimeru and Takigawa as far as his vision would allow him from his view from the floor before turning to his hands, smirking. "Those two... Always seem to find ways to get around adversities..."

-break-

"Aha!" Takigawa cried, pulled out a pair of skies and showed it to Kimeru. "Look at this. I asked Moriyama if he had any special skies built for two people, and he heartily went on to tell me that he had made one when Yanagi wanted to learn but would refuse to try it alone. Aiba and I could use these..." he explained before pointing to the snowmobile. "...while you and Shirota follow on that."

Kimeru nodded as he looked at the skis. "That could work...now all we have to do is get the two ready," he said.

-break-

Aiba stood and looked out the window. "Wow...where did those come from?" he said as he watched the other two take the things out.

"What is it?" Shirota inquired, looking over to Aiba curiously, furrowing his eyebrows. It was times like these when he didn't want to have a broken leg so he could move around like Aiba.

-break-

Kimeru brought out the snowmobile and set it up near the front door for easier access.

-break-

"Apparently it's a modified snowmobile..." Aiba said as he looked at it. "And by the looks of it, you could be able to ride it."

-break-

Kimeru grinned as he waited for Takigawa. "This should make those two happy."

Takigawa brought the skis out, along with two sets of ski poles and set them down by the snowmobile. "It _should_, otherwise I don't know what else would make them enjoy the day..." he stated as he moved to the door.

Shirota blinked, but said nothing as the front door opened. "Let's get you guys into some warm clothes, shall we?" Takigawa announced brightly, moving into the living room. "We'll be heading outside again today."

Kimeru nodded as he joined the rest inside. "Come on, Hiro, I think I have some Ski jackets that could fit you."

Aiba paled. "Not again..." he muttered as Kimeru pulled on his free hand and went upstairs.

-break-

Takigawa watched them head upstairs before looking over to Shirota, giving him a warm smile. "This is fine with you... right?" he asked quietly, sitting down on the floor with Shirota.

Shirota nodded. "I guess..." He turned to Takigawa and smiled. "Sankyu, Eiji-nii."

Takigawa got to his feet. "C'mon, let's get you a jacket, then."

-break-

A few minutes later, Kimeru and Aiba returned downstairs.

"Kime-nii! I look like I'm going to model instead of going outside!" Aiba complained.

Kimeru chuckled. "It's fine, Hiro...this place is isolated anyway."

Takigawa had helped Shirota into a warm ski jacket, thick gloves and a hat as Kimeru and Aiba returned from upstairs. "Shall we get going? I'll bring Shirota over to the snowmobile, Kimeru," he stated, assisting Shirota up before helping him across the room to the front door.

Kimeru nodded. "Alright then," he said happily as Aiba walked beside him towards the door.

"So...?" Aiba asked.

Kimeru grinned as he looked at Aiba. "You...are going skiing with Eiji while I take Shiropon around," he said.

Takigawa had just lowered Shirota onto the backseat and adjusted the leg support for him before strapping him in. "There we go," he said, patting Shirota on the head. "Have fun," he added before moving to the skis. "Let's get you settled in, Aibacchin," he called.

Shirota looked at the snowmobile for a moment. _'Yanagi... I should probably thank you for this...'_ he thought to himself.

Kimeru sat in front of Shirota and smiled. "Ready Shiropon?" he asked the boy.

Shirota wrapped his arms around Kimeru's waist so as not to move around too much and nodded.

Aiba looked at Kimeru as he got on the snowmobile and smiled. "Where did you get the snowmobile, Eiji-nii?" he asked Takigawa.

Takigawa had bent down and helped Aiba onto the ski bindings. "Apparently Moriyama's a whiz at modifying equipment," Takigawa explained. "That should do it," he stated brightly before buckling himself onto the other set of bindings before taking hold of a pair of ski poles. "All set here!" he called out to Kimeru and Shirota.

Kimeru smirked as he brought down his goggles over his eyes and started the snowmobile. "Then let's go!" he said as he drove up a certain hill. When he reached the top he looked down and glanced at Shirota through one of the side mirrors. "You better not close your eyes, Shiropon," he said. Aiba sweat dropped as he saw Kimeru drive at high speed to the top of the hill.

Takigawa brought down his goggles and watched Kimeru go ahead. "Oh boy, I forgot to remind Shirota about Kimeru's driving habits..." Takigawa stated with a sigh before planting the ends of the poles ahead of him and pulled him and Aiba forward towards the downhill slope. He turned to Aiba. "Hold on as best as you can, Aibacchin," he instructed.

"EIJI-NII, DON'T HIT THAT TREE!" Aiba yelled as he held on to Takigawa as they went down the slope.

Takigawa swerved before laughing. "This isn't my first time skiing, Aibacchin," he reassured him.

-break-

Shirota clutched a bit harder on Kimeru as he sped uphill. "How can I when you're going too fast?" Shirota complained, whose eyes were indeed shut tight.

"Fast?" Kimeru asked in confusion. "I'm only using moderate speed," he said with a smile.

"Nothing about it is moderate speed to me," Shirota replied.

Kimeru grinned as he turned his attention to the slope in front of them. "Then let's try to go slower," he said as he gunned the snowmobile causing it to jerk before moving downhill. He did a slight turn so that soon they were also going down the slope Takigawa and Aiba were currently on.

-break-

Aiba nodded. "I know but I'm not used to this perspective-" he was cut off as Kimeru and Shirota zoomed past them.

"THIS ISN'T SLOW AT ALL!" Shirota managed to scream.

Takigawa watched the two go past before chuckling. "It seems we have started a race," he said. "Let's catch up with them, shall we?" he teased, speeding up as well.

"Hai~ Let's go, Eiji-nii!" Aiba cheered.

Kimeru grinned. "It's slow!" he argued as he slowed down a bit more. "I told you not to close your eyes, Shiropon!"

Shirota shook his head. "I can't!" he whined.

Takigawa skillfully caught up to Kimeru and Shirota until they were side by side with the snowmobile. "Oi, Shiropon," Takigawa called.

"I said I can't!" Shirota bellowed.

Kimeru chuckled. "Shiropon...we already stopped," he said.

Shirota slowly opened his eyes and to his surprise, they _had_ stopped. He heaved a huge sigh of relief.

Takigawa stopped as well. "Are you alright?" he asked, concerned.

Shirota nodded. "S...Sorry... I'm just..."

Kimeru sighed. "I'll go slower, I promise," he said. Aiba nodded in approval as Kimeru said this.

Shirota uneasily nodded. "If you say so..."

Takigawa smiled. "It's better to enjoy ourselves rather than get everybody traumatized over something," he stated.

Kimeru sighed. "Hai~" he said. "I'll slow down," he said again.

Aiba smiled. "Hear that Yuu? Now you'll be able to keep your eyes open and appreciate the view."

Shirota looked around. To his surprise, the view was quite impressive, with snow decorating the mountains. It was a sight to see. He nodded over to Aiba, a small smile on his face. "Aa."

Takigawa smirked. "Well, that's settled. Let's get going, then. I want us to see as much of this as possible before heading back."

"Alright," Kimeru said as he got the snowmobile moving again, but this time at a much friendlier pace.

Shirota took some time looking around, breath taken from the scenery around him as he kept himself attached to Kimeru as the snowmobile was moving.

Aiba looked at them and smiled. "Kime-nii seems to be enjoying this, ne?" he asked.

Takigawa got moving in pace with them as he nodded. "Aa. This is probably better than having to teach him how to ski. At least he can take care of Shiropon while doing something he's comfortable with."

"Aa. Though I still plan on teaching Yuu how to ski once we both heal," Aiba said as he looked around as well. "Moriyama-senpai...he put a lot of thought into choosing this place didn't he?" he said.

Kimeru was thinking along the same lines. "That's true…besides, having Yanagi with you - accident prone as he is - putting effort in looking for a comfortable and safe place like this is already a feat."

Takigawa nodded. "He'll appreciate that, Aibacchin," he stated before turning to Kimeru. "We'll have to remember to thank them both for this properly when we get back to Tokyo..." Shirota inwardly agreed.

Kimeru nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we should," he said.

-break-

After a while of moving around and some fooling around they headed back to the rest house. Aiba sat on the couch and leaned back. "That was fun!" he said as Kimeru helped Takigawa to assist Shirota inside. "A-re? What's this?" he asked as he saw a small case on the coffee table. He took it and looked at the card; it was addressed to the four of them. "What the...I can't believe it...it's from our parents and managers!" he exclaimed.

The three had just reached the living room as Takigawa eased Shirota down onto the couch. The older man propped Shirota's injured leg onto the couch as well after setting down a few pillow to elevate it properly.

"What is it?" Takigawa inquired, pulling off his gloves.

"It looks like a DVD," Aiba said as he flipped it over. "No details whatsoever... Except that it came from our parents-"

"Wait...what do you mean 'OUR' parents?" Kimeru asked.

"Eiji-nii's, yours, mine and Yuu's," Aiba said.

Kimeru eyed the DVD. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" he said.

Shirota blinked, frowning as he looked over to the DVD. "Are you sure? It might just be from yours..."

Takigawa moved forward and took the DVD case from Aiba. "The only way to find out for sure is to play it and see what comes out..." he explained, moving to the DVD player, started everything up and popped the DVD in.

The video started off in what seemed to be a living room which Aiba recognized as theirs. What surprised him was the presence of his family along with Shirota's and a few people that he didn't know.

"MOTHER? FATHER?" Kimeru exclaimed as he stared wide eyed at the screen.

"So that's who they are..." Aiba said.

Takigawa sighed, bringing a hand to his face. "Even my parents..." he muttered.

Shirota looked over to the TV screen. "E...Everybody's there..." he whispered. "E...Even dad..." Shirota's parents were divorced, so it wasn't very often that he would see his whole family - both parents, both brothers and both sisters - together in one place.

The video started innocently enough, their parents and siblings, greeting them for the holidays, giving a few messages and annoying them at one point.

-video-

**"So now that we have your attention..." Aiba's sister had said. "We would like to show you our gift."**

**"In chronological order," Kimeru's father cut in.**

**"Hai~ in chronological order. So here are a few pictures of you guys that we have compiled! Dozo!"**

-video-

Then the scene faded to black...a few seconds later, Aiba's baby pictures popped up. "AAAAHH! NO!" Aiba yelled as he moved to grab the remote but Kimeru beat him to it.

"No you don't Hiroki!" he said.

The next pictures that came up were Takigawa's then Shirota's and finally Kimeru's, by that time though, Aiba had taken the remote so that Kimeru wouldn't reach it.

"What was the point of that..?" Shirota inquired darkly, pouting as he crossed his arms over his chest.

-video-

**"Simply put," Shirota's eldest brother Dai stated as the image of the living room came back. "We all gathered here together to celebrate the holidays together, just as you guys are doing right now."**

**"Even though we can't go there to celebrate with you, **_**we **_**feel compelled to get to know more about one another," Takigawa's mother continued.**

**"So Yuu-ani! Take care of yourself!" Shirota's younger sister Rina cheered.**

**"Don't go and do anything reckless while you're out there in Hokkaido," Shirota Jun added.**

**"Eiji, since you're the eldest among the bunch, I expect you take care of the other three like the older brother they admire you for," Takigawa's father stated.**

**"And just in case you were wondering about the baby pictures, we guessed that some of you never showed each other yours so we did it for you," Aiba's mother said.**

-video-

"But I showed Yuu my baby pictures before..." Aiba said, confused.

"That was the entire point of not showing them..." Kimeru muttered.

-video-

**"This is the second to the last part of the video. These are a compilation of your works," Aiba Daisuke said, speaking for the first time in the video. "With this we would like to tell you that even if we weren't around, we were there every step of the way...especially your father, Yuu-kun," he said as he nodded at Shirota's father.**

-video-

With that the scene faded again and pictures started to show. This time it was from their projects ranging from their modeling jobs, recordings, musicals and even album launches.

Shirota turned to the screen and eyed his father for the entire time before the pictures started to show up one by one. Finally deciding what he wanted to do, Shirota pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open, his thumb over a speed dial button.

Takigawa looked over to him and smiled. "Did you want to call them up, Shiropon?" he asked.

Shirota nodded. "I want to... I want to talk with them..." he said as he pressed the button and brought the phone to his ear.

Aiba smiled. "I think it would be proper if we did..." he said as he paused the video.

Shirota nodded. The phone was still ringing before someone had picked up on the other side.

_"Hello?"_

Shirota froze. He hadn't heard that voice in a long time. "T...T...Tou-san?"

Shirota Mitsuo chuckled. _"Yuu! We were hoping you'd think of calling us up. How's Hokkaido?"_

"I...It's fine... Are you with-"

_"Yes, we're here. So are the others,"_ came Shirota Pepi, Shirota's mother's voice. Apparently he was put on loudspeaker. _"Could you activate your phone to loudspeaker as well?"_

Shirota nodded. "Hai. Give me a second..." he pulled the phone back and pressed a button before it was put on loudspeaker. "Kaa-san, it's on," he reported.

_"Yuu, you doing alright?"_ came Shirota's older sister Maria's voice.

_"YUU-ANI! YOU CALLED!"_ came the excited voice of Rina.

Shirota rubbed the back of his head. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Nothing to worry about... So where are-"

_"Your mother already said we were here, Yuu-kun,"_ came Aiba Daisuke's voice through the phone. _"Hiroki, are you there?"_

"Hai, tou-san," Aiba answered.

_"Oi Kime, are you in there?"_ Kimeru's father said. _"Or are you still in shock that I showed your baby pictures?"_

Kimeru frowned. "I'm here!" he answered loudly.

_"Unless Eiji's already gone off to start on the feast..." _Takigawa's mother began with a chuckle.

Takigawa was already heading to the kitchen before doubling back within distance of Shirota's phone. "I'm here," he called.

_"I figured as much,"_ she said happily with another chuckle.

"Where are you all staying at for Christmas?" Shirota inquired.

_"That would be in our place. We had offered the place for Christmas Eve so that we could get in touch with you,"_ Daisuke answered.

"Matte...just one question, how did you get the DVD here?" Aiba asked.

"I would like to know that as well," Kimeru added.

_"That, we would rather not say,"_ Kimeru's father said.

_"In any case, we would like to wish the four of you Happy Holidays,"_ Aiba's sister, Hinako, said.

_"Now go on and get started on dinner, Eiji!" _Takigawa's father stated.

"Hai!" Takigawa replied, happy to leave for the kitchen.

_"Yuu, take it easy, okay?" _Maria said with a hint of concern evident from her voice.

_"Don't push yourself too hard..."_ Jun added.

"I know, I know..." Shirota replied. "I've got three people taking care of me already," he added as an afterthought.

_"Take care of each other while you're there,"_ Daisuke said. _"And no rough activities... Especially you, Hiroki."_

Aiba sighed. "I know...I know..."

_"Kime, don't cause any trouble for Eiji-kun alright!"_ Kimeru's mother said.

"Hai~ You can count on me!" Kimeru said.

_"Don't push yourself too much, Hiroki. Now we won't take up any more of your time. We love you!" _Aiba's mother said.

Aiba smiled softly. "Hai, kaa-san...I love you guys too..." he told them.

_"Hear that Kime? Why can't you be a little more vocal like Hiroki-kun here?"_ Kimeru's father teased.

"Hey! I _am_ vocal!" Kimeru argued.

"Enjoy your Christmas..." Shirota stated.

_"To you all as well, Yuu,"_ Dai said.

_"We love you, son!"_ Pepi added.

Shirota nodded. "Aa... I love you all, too..." he said before looking around to the other two.

_"Please tell Eiji to take care, Yuu-kun. From the both of us,"_ Takigawa's mother requested, referring to herself and her husband.

"I will," Shirota replied.

_"Well, we wouldn't like to take up anymore of Yuu-kun's minutes, we would hear from you again, I hope,"_ Daisuke said.

"Aa. Count on it," Aiba said with a smile and a nod at the other two.

_"Happy Holidays then,"_ Daisuke said before the call ended as the three lapsed into comfortable silence.

Shirota looked at the phone before flipping it closed. A smile crept up his face before he gripped harder on his phone, slipping it back into his pocket. "I'm glad... I'm glad I got to talk with them..." he said, more to himself than to the others.

Aiba nodded. "Aa...I'm glad as well...it's not often that we hear from them nowadays...with exception of my father for me, of course," he said.

Kimeru stood up. "I'm going to go help Eiji with the food," he said. "Do you guys want something? ...Something that isn't junk food, that is."

Shirota shook his head. "I can wait for dinner, Kime-nii," he replied. "You don't need to go out of your way to prepare something just for an afternoon snack."

"It's alright. Considering the fact that I may have knocked out almost half of your lifespan out there, I think you two deserve a snack before dinner. There's cake..." he said, eyeing Aiba.

Aiba looked at him and blinked. "What kind?" he asked slowly.

"Chocolate," Kimeru answered.

Shirota turned to Kimeru, his mouth gaping. "C...Ch... Chocolate cake?" he repeated.

Takigawa peeked out from the kitchen. "Oi, isn't it too early to be giving them that?" he asked Kimeru as he looked over to Shirota, knowing that the boy loved any chocolate food.

"It's alright, I'll make sure that they still have room for the actual meal," Kimeru said as he looked at the two. "So, I'll take that as a 'yes'," he said as he went to the kitchen.

Shirota grinned and turned to Aiba. "CHOCOLATE, HIROKI!" he cheered, his fists trembling before he pumped one into the air. "YOSH!"

Aiba grinned as well. "Hell yeah!" he said.

-break-

Takigawa chuckled at this before returning inside the kitchen. "You know how excited Shirota gets when chocolate is involved, don't you? We got to see that first-hand during their anniversary."

Kimeru smirked. "Yeah, I remember...he and Hiroki alone finished 75% of the cake," he said as he opened the fridge and brought out the cake.

"But are you sure it's alright to feed them that when they're still recovering?" Takigawa asked apprehensively as he moved to the counter to continue cutting up the vegetables.

"I won't give them the whole cake, Eiji...don't worry...besides...this is just a small treat for them," Kimeru answered as he took two slices of the cake and placed them on small plates. "I'll help you in a while," he added as he went out. "Just one serving, you two," he announced as he handed the slices to the two.

Shirota took the plate and nodded. "Arigatou, Kime-nii!" he said enthusiastically as he took the fork and took a piece from the slice of cake and heartily ate it.

Aiba grinned as he placed the plate on the arm rest and ate his serving of cake. Kimeru smiled at them. "I'll just be in the kitchen," he said as he went back to assist Takigawa.

-break-

With the combined efforts of Takigawa and Kimeru, the Christmas feast was finished and brought out to the living room so that they could enjoy it and not have to trouble themselves with helping Shirota move around anymore than he'd need to.

"We hope you like what we've prepared!" Takigawa announced brightly, taking a plate. "So what would you like to have, Shiropon?" he inquired.

Aiba looked at the food. "How did you make this in a short span of time?" he asked.

Kimeru chuckled. "Magic," he answered.

-break-

After they had all finished their share of food, Takigawa was in the middle of cleaning the dishes in the kitchen before the electricity went out.

Shirota looked around. "Aa, the power's out!" he declared before spotting the weather outside, frowning. "Looks like it's coming down out there..." he stated.

Aiba, upon instinct, took hold of Shirota's arm once the power went out.

Kimeru, using his phone as a light source, managed to find some candles and lit them. "Now isn't this romantic?" he said with a chuckle.

"I can't believe the power's out... And on Christmas Eve, too..." Shirota said with a sigh. He looked over to Aiba who was clutching his arm. "Nothing to be scared about, though..." he reassured the younger boy.

"I know," Aiba said, a slight blush on his cheeks as he released Shirota's arm.

Takigawa managed to find his way into the living room, wiping his hands dry. "Well, seems like I'll be putting the cleaning up on hold for a while. Let's see if we can get the fireplace going again..." he said, striding over to the area and knelt down in front of it, setting it up.

Kimeru went over to the fireplace. "Allow me," he offered as he used what he used to light the candles to at least get the fire starting. "There...that should do the trick," he said.

"Aa, sankyu," Takigawa said, nodding to Kimeru before letting the fire grow a bit before settling it at a reasonable size before turning to the others. "So, did you have something in mind for tonight, Kime-kun?" he asked.

"Well, with the power out and everything that sort of tells me to think of another thing…" Kimeru said with a sigh. "So let's see...dim lighting...hmm...no good, only one thing comes into mind," he said as he shook his head.

Shirota grinned, pulling Aiba gingerly by the wrist and pecked him on the cheek. Aiba smiled as he adjusted his position beside Shirota. "It's such a shame that we're injured, isn't it?" he whispered.

Shirota nodded. "There would've been so many things we could've done if we weren't..." he whispered back.

"What's that, then?" Takigawa inquired, settling down onto an armchair.

"There's always the classic truth or dare unless you have any ideas in mind," Kimeru answered.

Aiba grinned. "That's right...don't worry though, we'll be able to do it once we get out of these things..." he said.

Shirota nodded before turning to Kimeru. "A-no sa... How about we just have a little presentation?"

"Presentation?" Takigawa repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Well... My family and I do this every Christmas... We think up of a song to sing, a dance to perform, or some other form of sorts to show to the others..." Shirota suggested.

"I like that idea," Kimeru said. Aiba, however, was a bit hesitant with the idea.

Shirota turned to Aiba. "I know you'd want to dance, Hiroki... Being the type of person you are... But... you weren't chosen to be part of TeniMyu if dancing was the only talent you'd lend to the stage, na?" Shirota said with a small smile in hopes of lifting Aiba's spirits.

Aiba sighed. "That's right…" he said as he managed a soft smile.

"Then let's see… who wants to start it off?" Kimeru asked the small group.

"You'll think of something!" Shirota said brightly.

Takigawa chuckled. "I think Shiropon wants to start," he teased.

Shirota looked over to Takigawa. "Well, I would need a guitar for that, then..." he stated.

Takigawa rose to his feet. "Hai, hai. I'll go get it upstairs. You brought yours along, didn't you?" Shirota nodded as Takigawa headed upstairs, taking a candle with him.

Aiba thought about what he can do while Takigawa went upstairs. "Hey, Kime-nii...maybe we can…" he trailed off, whispering the rest to Kimeru who smiled widely.

"I think I like your idea. Let's go with that," Kimeru said as he sat back down on his place, still with the wide smile of his.

"I'm feeling a bit of Fuji aura emanating from you two it's scary..." Shirota admitted, looking over at the two Fuji actors.

"Fuji aura?" Kimeru asked.

"I don't get what you mean, Yuu," Aiba continued, both of them smiling similarly.

As Takigawa returned moments later the two dropped the Fuji act. "Here we go," Takigawa stated, setting the candle down and unzipping the case, pulling out the guitar and handed it to Shirota.

"Sankyu, Eiji-nii," he said, taking the familiar instrument and adjusted himself before strumming a few random chords.

"Yosh..." Shirota said, satisfied that the guitar was in tune before turning to the others. "I hope you enjoy this song..." he began. "It's entitled _**'Mienai Kizuna'**_." Shirota began strumming the intro before starting to sing.

_"Ima boku-tachi ga kanjiteru kono omoi wa__  
__Kotoba ni dekinai hodo no ooki sugiru arigatou__  
__Me wo tojireba ukabu anata-tachi no egao__  
__Donna mono yori itoshii ikiru chikara no subete__  
__Umareta toki ageta koe wo mada oboetemasu ka__  
__Hajimete hanashita kotoba oboeteimasu ka__  
__Shinpai kaketa koto mo nandomo atta ne dakedo__  
__Sore ga atta kara ima koushite toutoi namida ga afuredasu__  
__Mune wo sasu hodo no itami ni naita yoru."_

Aiba closed his eyes in the middle of the song, listening quietly as he recalled the first time he heard this. Kimeru leaned on Takigawa as the song went on.  
_  
__"Daijoubu to hagemashite kureta ne__  
__Fuan de tsuburesou na tabidachi no asa ni__  
__Ganbare to yuuki wo kureta ne__  
__Subete no kansha no kimochi wo mune ni motte__  
__Kyou to iu hi wo mukaerareru koto wo__  
__Kokoro kara shiawase ni omou yo__  
__Yarikirenaku natta toki wa mou ichido__  
__Tayotte mo ii desu ka__  
__Kore kara futari wa tomo ni sasaeau__  
__Tatoe sekai no hate made hanaretemo__  
__Chikai wa boku-tachi no mune no naka ni aru__  
__Towa ni kienu kizuna__  
__Dare ni mo mienai kizuna"_

The second Tezuka actor strummed the last chords before ending the song.

When the song ended Kimeru and Aiba clapped their hands. "Good job, Shiropon!" Kimeru said with a smile.

Shirota nodded. "Arigatou..." he said, passing the guitar over to Takigawa as the first Tezuka actor returned it to its guitar case.

"That was a very nice song..." Takigawa admitted, smiling over to Shirota before looking over to Kimeru. "Na, Kime-kun?"

"Indeed it was," Kimeru said with a smile.

"Then I believe that it's our turn, Kime-nii..." Aiba said with a smirk.

"Aa. You better not faint this time around, Eiji..." Kimeru said with a wink as he and Aiba stood up.

Takigawa had just set down Shirota's guitar before jerking his head over to Kimeru. "E...Eh?" he asked, confused as he looked over to Shirota, hopefully looking for an answer.

Shirota simply shrugged his shoulders. "Saa..." he replied.

"Let's just hope I get the right tone…" Aiba said as Kimeru dragged a stool and placed it at the center of the room.

"Let me borrow this…" Kimeru said as he got the two candles and placed them a meter from two sides of the chair.

Aiba and Kimeru nodded at one another; after a few seconds, Aiba started singing Kimeru's song _**'Pleasure of Love'**_; Kimeru accompanying him in some parts of the song. Aiba even joined Kimeru for a few dance steps that he didn't have to put any effort in. As their little presentation ended, they both winked at the two Tezuka actors before settling back in their respective places.

Both Shirota and Takigawa stared, dumbfounded for a while as they went through the song. By the end of it, Takigawa snapped out of it and cleared his throat. "That was-"

Shirota beamed. "THAT WAS GREAT!" he cheered, breaking into applause.

Takigawa chuckled. "Yes. It was. At least now I could get through the song without being... distracted as I was before," he said, glancing momentarily to Kimeru.

Kimeru nodded. "That's good to know, Eiji!" he said as he kissed Takigawa on the cheek.

"Kime-nii, next time let's make new moves for that!" Aiba said.

"I'll be waiting for that time, Hiro," Kimeru told the younger Fuji actor as he ruffled his hair.

Shirota looked over to Takigawa. "So the only one left is Eiji-nii..." he said. "What will you be doing?"

Takigawa shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't know, to be honest..." the first Tezuka actor admitted.

Aiba was thinking for a moment. "How about you sing, Eiji-nii?" he suggested.

Takigawa shook his head. "I'm not much of a singer..." he said quietly.

Shirota was suddenly struck by an idea. "Ne, Eiji-nii... You love cooking, don't you? You can always make something that doesn't need to be fried or anything!" Takigawa looked over to Shirota before chuckling. "What? Is it a bad idea?" the younger boy inquired.

Takigawa shook his head as he got to his feet. "No, it's not. You gave me an idea on what to do. Arigatou," he said, grinning before disappearing into the kitchen.

"Eh?" Kimeru said as he watched Takigawa go to the Kitchen.

"Cooking demo?" Aiba asked.

Shirota nodded. "Aa. Though I'm not sure if he can think up of something to do in this situation..." he admitted, looking over to the kitchen.

-break-

Takigawa, in the meantime, was raiding the fridge whilst moving around with the candle light placed on the counter. "Aha!" he called, pulling out a half-gallon of vanilla ice cream from the freezer before checking the fridge and pulled out a bottle of chocolate syrup. He shuffled to the other side and opened the pantry and retrieved a pack of brownie cookies. He took out a tray, serving plate, a scooper, a knife and some small plates and set everything on the tray before returning to the living room.

"Alright! I'm going to show you all how to make something simple," Takigawa began, setting the things down on the coffee table and knelt down as well, arranging everything.

Shirota spotted the chocolate syrup and subconsciously licked his lips. "What are you making?" he asked before he could stop himself.

Takigawa smiled over to him. "Ice cream sandwiches," he stated.

Kimeru chuckled. "Count on the resident chef to think of something appetizing. You sure do spoil the kids, tou-san," he said.

Aiba nodded in agreement as he looked at the ingredients.

Takigawa laughed. "Well, _you_ started it with the cake. And since it's Christmas Eve, might as well let them enjoy themselves, na?" he stated before returning his attention to the food stuffs in front of him. "Now, this is an easy process. First, we lay down a brownie cookie and spread some chocolate syrup over them," he explained, laying down 4 pieces of cookies on the serving plate, equally spaced out and took the syrup and squeezed a reasonable amount on each.

"My mouth's watering just watching you do that..." Shirota said quietly.

Takigawa chuckled. "Of course you are. You can have some syrup later, chocolate-lover," he teased.

Shirota pumped a fist into the air. "YOSH!"

"Moving on..." Takigawa opened the half-gallon of ice cream and took the scooper. "Then we take a scoop of ice cream and place it on the cookies." He proceeded to do this four times. "Feel free to add another layer of syrup if you like. But for safety purposes to _some_ people, I'll put some," he said, grinning over to Shirota and Aiba as he squeezed a bit more syrup over the four servings. "Top it off with another cookie and press gently." Takigawa pressed on the sandwiches before leaning back.

"That looks delicious!" Shirota proclaimed.

"But I'm not through yet. I'm supposed to wrap it and put it in the freezer for 10 minutes so that the ice cream doesn't spill all over you," Takigawa explained.

"It was just a small serving," Kimeru argued as he watched Takigawa make the Ice Cream sandwiches.

"But there's no electricity and there's also no generator..." Aiba reasoned after Takigawa was done.

Takigawa grinned as he took the serving plate with the sandwiches and rose to his feet. "If that were true, the ice cream would've already melted, wouldn't it?"

"There's a generator? Then why haven't the lights come back?" Aiba asked.

Takigawa decided to leave the question unanswered and moved to the kitchen to make the finishing touches with the sandwiches before storing them in the freezer.

"The generator may not be able to support the lights for very long, so it's better to use it on the fridge so the food inside doesn't go bad. Besides, we already have a fire going which should keep us warm for tonight, na?" Shirota explained.

"Oh...so that's it," Aiba said and Kimeru chuckled as he ruffled Aiba's hair.

"Yes, that's right...so now..." Kimeru trailed off as he looked at his watch. "We have approximately 15 minutes till midnight," he informed the group.

"We can enjoy the sandwiches before midnight, then," Takigawa announced, returning from the kitchen. "Perhaps now would be the best time to exchange gifts?" he suggested.

"I'm going first!" Aiba volunteered as he got up and went to the rooms to retrieve something. He came back moments later with three paper bags. "Here we go!" he said as he handed one to each person in the room, after making sure that he gave it to the right person, and smiled. "I hope you like them! I got the idea from my parents a few months back."

Kimeru opened his gift bag and took out two bears, similar to what Aiba's parents have given him for his birthday, attached from the nose making them look like they were kissing.

"I'm afraid to say that I don't have my mother's embroidery skills," Aiba added sheepishly as Kimeru saw his name and Takigawa's on the purple and yellow sweaters that the bears were wearing.

"It still looks good, Hiroki. Thank you," Kimeru said as he turned his attention to the two Tezuka actors, waiting for their own reactions.

Inside the gift bags was another DVD compilation for Takigawa; it covered his works and the "love story" of the first cast couple based from the accounts of both friends and family from both sides. Aiba grinned as he remembered the other thing in the bag. There inside, printed and framed, was the picture he took during the musical where the four of them were in. It showed Kimeru's genuinely shocked expression and Takigawa's -as the rest have put it- predatory smirk.

Takigawa took out the DVD and read the description before he waved it. "I'll have to watch this tomorrow," he stated before looking into the bag, spotting something else inside and pulled it out. He blinked when he saw the picture before genuinely smiling and looked over to Aiba, nodding to him. "This was pretty sneaky of you, wasn't it?" he said, grinning.

Aiba's gift for Shirota, however, was something he had been working on since last year. He was unable to finish it due to his injuries but Kimeru had graciously offered to help finish it, and somehow they had managed to. It was a hand-made wood carving of two dolphins.

Shirota fumbled with the bag and after some difficulty, pulled out the carving. He broke out into a huge grin at the sight. "This must've taken you a long time," he pointed out, looking underneath the base. "It's hand-made, I see. Sankyu, Hiroki," he said.

"Yes, it is hand-made, but Kime-nii helped me finish it," Aiba said.

"Saa...I guess it's my turn then…" Kimeru said as he stood and went over to retrieve something from the bag placed near the couches.

"I'm sorry that this is all I got you guys. I really didn't have much time to look around," he apologized as he handed each of them his gifts. "Go on and open them," Kimeru urged.

Aiba stared at the box that was handed to him before shrugging and proceeded to rip the wrapping off the box. Kimeru chuckled. "What? It's not as if I can take it off carefully..." Aiba defended.

"I never said anything, Hiro," Kimeru told him.

Aiba nodded as he took the lid off. "K-Kime-nii! These are...these are…" he exclaimed as he pulled out a pair of Nikes.

"Custom made for dancers like you, Hiro. This way you won't have to buy a pair almost every month," Kimeru said with a grin.

"Thank you!" Aiba said as he examined his new shoes.

Kimeru then looked at Shirota and Takigawa, waiting for them to open their own gifts. For Takigawa, he had managed to find a cookbook on foreign cuisine since he saw that the cookbook they had at home was already falling apart and internet recipes weren't always accurate. And just for the heck of it he also bought an apron with the words "Kiss the cook" printed on them.

Takigawa smirked as he took the apron and the cookbook. "Now I can start making something classy tomorrow for lunch," he mused. "Arigatou, Kime-kun."

For Shirota, Kimeru had hunted down a few shirts and something he thought was very interesting. He had gotten the idea from Aiba when he saw the little keychain that was on his phone. He chuckled at the memory. _'Who knew that they actually made things like that? …things like Aiba plushies.'_

Shirota pulled out a handful of about 3 shirts before his eyes widened at the plushie. "A-re? HIROKI HAS A PLUSHIE?" he exclaimed in surprise, holding it out for Aiba to see. Shirota grinned widely. "KAWAII! I didn't know they had manufactured these~" he stated, highly amused as he cuddled it possessively.

"I...I have a plushie version?" Aiba said incredulously as he stared at the plushie.

Kimeru laughed. "Quite a surprise isn't it? I was looking for a Shirota plushie as well but it just so happens that among the four of us you're the only one who has it," he explained.

Aiba sighed. "At least they got the hair right," he said before grinning.

"Looks like it's my turn," Takigawa stated as he set his gifts aside and got to his feet. "Shirota, where're your gifts? I can go and get them for you," he inquired, turning to the younger boy on the couch.

"They're in my bag upstairs... I put them all in a box that you should see when you open my stroller bag..." Shirota explained.

Takigawa nodded. "I'll be right back." The first Tezuka actor headed upstairs and retrieved his and Shirota's gifts from the bedroom before returning downstairs minutes later. He set Shirota's box of gifts down beside the boy before he set down a big sports bag and unzipped it. "Now... First one is..." he pulled out a gift-wrapped box and handed it out to Shirota. "For you, Shirota."

Shirota nodded, taking the box and undid the wrapping before he popped the lid to see a new soccer ball, causing him to grin. "I've always wanted to replace my old soccer ball at home... Arigatou, Eiji-nii!" he said brightly.

"There's something else in there," Takigawa mentioned as he rummaged through his bag.

Shirota, noticing something else with the soccer ball, took it out and tore off the wrapping before bursting out in laughter. "It matches my phone accessory," he admitted, pulling out a Fuji plushie. "Na, Aibacchin?" he teased.

"Next..." Takigawa said, pulling out a similar box over to Aiba. "Hai, Aibacchin." He had gotten a Tezuka plushie for the boy, as well as a DVD compilation similar to what Aiba had just given him. _'I didn't think we'd end up making one for each other,'_ he told himself with a chuckle.

Aiba looked at the DVD and smiled widely. "It would seem like we almost think alike, Eiji-nii…" he said. He then pulled out the Tezuka plushie from the box and cuddled it. "I've been reminding myself to get one of these. Thank you!"

"Kime-kun!" Takigawa said, turning to the J-Pop singer and tossed over a thinner box to him. He had taken the liberty of arranging a scrapbook of their anniversary containing pictures, maps, song lyrics, and memos from Takigawa, as well as some dedications from the rest of the first cast members, Ueshima-sensei and Kimeru's family and friends.

"I also have this... for the both of you, Shirotan and Aibacchin," he added, taking out a paper bag and held it out to Aiba. It was a kit of Seigaku accessories customized for their guinea pigs.

Aiba pulled out the kit and looked at the accessories inside. "Sugoi! It even has a pair of glasses!" he exclaimed as he showed it to Shirota.

Shirota laughed. "KAKOI!" he declared, seeing the different accessories.

Kimeru chuckled as he watched Aiba look at the accessories; he then looked at his own gift. "You even managed to get a hold of my father and Ueshima-sensei…" he said before kissing Takigawa on the cheek. "Arigatou."

Takigawa nodded. "Now you know what I was doing when you were busy at work," he teased with a wink.

Shirota set his gift down and pulled up his box of gifts. "I guess I'm the last one..." he announced, pulling the lid off and examined the contents before pulling out a gift-wrapped box and a paper bag. "Eiji-nii, this one's for you."

"Sankyu," Takigawa said, taking the gifts and sat himself back down before starting with the paper bag. From inside, he chuckled at the sight of a new costume for Pearl. "Pearl will love this," he stated, holding up the Seigaku jersey customized for dogs. "She's always envied me whenever I wore it, it seems." Takigawa moved to the box and tore off the gift wrapper and pulled the lid off to find a new shogi board and smirked. "This is perfect, Shiropon. I can finally start playing this again."

Shirota nodded. "No problem. Saa..." he returned to rummaging through his box and pulled out another paper bag. "Hai, Kime-nii," he called, tossing the bag over. He had decided on getting a few flashy clothes for the J-Pop singer to add to his increasing collection of wardrobe. "Oh, and this one, too," he added as pulled out a rolled-up paper and tossed it over to Kimeru as well. It was a hand-made collage of pictures mostly of Kimeru and Takigawa, along with some group pictures that involved the first cast Seigaku, as well as of the four of them.

Kimeru examined the clothes Shirota had given him with a wide smile. "I'll be sure to use this," he said. "And you even got the right colors too." He put the clothes in the box again as he looked at the collage. "You even got the pictures from the orientation day. Thanks, Shiropon."

"As for Hiroki..." Shirota pulled out a DVD case and showed it to him. "To make up for what you gave to me for our anniversary... I made one for you, too," he explained. "And we shouldn't forget this!" he said cheerfully, pulling out four packs of various sweets and placed everything in a paper bag and handed it to the boy.

Aiba looked at the back of the DVD case to see the picture printed on it. "It would seem that I'll be watching a lot of things once the power gets back," he said happily. His eyes widened when he saw what was in the other paper bag. "You even got Belgian chocolate!" he exclaimed. "You're the best, Yuu," he said happily.

"No problem, it's the least I could do," Shirota replied to the two Fuji actors.

Takigawa checked his watch and got to his feet. "Looks like the timing's perfect... I have some sandwiches to retrieve from the freezer," he announced happily and hurried to the kitchen. He took the ice cream sandwiches out, carefully unwrapping them from the clean film, brought them back out and transferred them to the small plates. "Hai, dozo!"

Shirota grinned. "They look delicious!" he complimented, reaching out for a plate.

"I almost forgot about those," Aiba said as Kimeru handed him one.

"I'm not surprised," the older Fuji actor said.

Takigawa took a sandwich and raised it. "To a great Christmas celebration ahead of us!" he toasted before they all took a bite out of their sandwiches.

"We'll have to make more of this again," Shirota stated with his mouth smeared with chocolate.

"You already finished yours?" Takigawa inquired.

Shirota nodded. "Hai."

Kimeru chuckled. "Why am I not surprised?" he said as he finished off his own share.

Aiba, who was already done with his, smirked when he saw Shirota. "Let me get that for you..." he said slyly as he leaned over and licked the chocolate off the other boy.

Kimeru turned beet red when he saw this. "W-What the heck…"

Takigawa chuckled and wordlessly finished his own sandwich.

Shirota blushed before taking Aiba's lips with his own when the boy was through. "Arigatou, Hiroki," he whispered, grinning.

Aiba smiled as pulled back and sat back down comfortably. "No problem," he said.

"You could have at least warned us..." Kimeru said, as he closed his eyes for a while to let his blush subside.

Aiba chuckled. "Gomen, Kime-nii."

Shirota yawned, bringing a hand over his mouth before he proceeded to take the Aiba and Fuji plushies and cuddled them. "Oyasumi~" he called, closing his eyes before sleep had taken him.

Takigawa blinked at this sudden development before chuckling to himself. "Strange boy... Falling asleep right after that..." he stated.

Aiba chuckled as Shirota fell asleep. "It's just like him to fall asleep like that," he said.

Kimeru smiled as he patted Shirota on the head before turning his attention to the two. "Well, in case you haven't noticed it's already past midnight. Merry Christmas, you two."

"Hai~ Merry Christmas," Aiba greeted as well.

"Merry Christmas," Takigawa greeted, getting to his feet and nodded to Aiba, kissed Kimeru on the cheek and took the blanket they had used the other night and pulled it over Shirota's sleeping form. "Let's get things fixed up a bit then head to bed. What do you say?" he asked as he proceeded to bring the used kitchenware on the table to the sink in the kitchen.

"I'll help," Aiba said as he took some pieces of the wrappers to throw them away before detaching the cards and putting them aside.

Kimeru took the boxes and placed them in a corner so that they wouldn't be cluttered up. After a few moments, the living room looked like the way it did before their little exchange of gifts. When Kimeru got back he saw Aiba yawning as he sat on one of the chairs. "Come on, Hiro…off to bed with you," he said as he approached the younger Fuji actor.

"Hai~" Aiba replied sleepily as he stood up again and allowed himself to be led by Kimeru upstairs.

-break-

Takigawa returned to the living room and walked over to Shirota. "Let's get you up to bed as well..." he muttered, taking Shirota up onto his back, minding the boy's leg as he slowly headed upstairs. Shirota, who was sound asleep, subconsciously wrapped his arms around Takigawa's neck, still clinging onto the two plushies as they headed upstairs. "Here we go..." Takigawa slowly set Shirota down on the bed, elevating the broken leg with some pillows. Aiba was already fast asleep as he moved a bit when Shirota was placed on the bed but he didn't wake up.

"You two..." Kimeru said with a smile as he placed a comforter over them. "That's should do it...Come on Eiji, we better get some sleep too."

Takigawa nodded, following Kimeru out of the room and closed the door behind him before they headed into their own room. After changing, Takigawa slipped underneath the comforter, heaving a sigh of a relief. "It was a good idea to bring them along, isn't it?" he said. "Any plans for later?" he asked quietly, stifling a yawn.

"We could always go out again...I was actually planning to ask you to let Shirota have a turn on the skis with you," Kimeru said as he closed the last few buttons on his top.

Takigawa propped himself up onto his elbows. "Isn't that a bit dangerous?" he asked in alarm. "It would be a burden on his leg if we have him do that..."

"Hmm...You're right...so I guess the sled is out of the question too..." Kimeru said as he sat on the bed. "I wonder what else..."

Takigawa laid back down. "Did you and Aibacchin manage to think up of something for his birthday, at least?" he inquired, trying to change the subject while he racked his brain for ideas on what to do later on in the day besides preparing the food.

"We have a mini presentation for Shiropon's birthday," Kimeru said.

Takigawa nodded. "If anything, I'll be spending most of my time later preparing the food... Aibacchin will probably be watching the DVDs he's received, and Shirota would most probably just want to be with Aibacchin..." he figured, turning to Kimeru. "What about you?"

"I'll be helping you in the kitchen, of course," Kimeru said as he lied down beside Takigawa. "What else could I do?"

Takigawa chuckled. "I was figuring you'd be preparing for tomorrow," he admitted, pulling the comforter closer. "Oh well, I'll see you in the morning, Kimeru. Hopefully the electricity will be back..." he added, shifting to his side and closed his eyes, yawning before he allowed sleep to take him.

"Aa...I'll see you in the morning..." Kimeru said as he moved over to hug Takigawa before falling asleep.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED :D

We look forward to your reviews and possible suggestions. :)


	11. Reminiscing the Past

**Title:** Anything for You

**Author/Artist:** snooperj & Bloodysamurai

**Series/Pairing(s):** TeniMyu; Mainly Takigawa Eiji x Kimeru & Shirota Yuu x Aiba Hiroki

**Notes:** Here is the 11th chapter entitled **Remembering the Past**. This chapter is the continuation of the events of the quartet in Hokkaido from Christmas Day to the end of Shirota's birthday, where there will be a few details that are presented in our other (AU) roleplay that revolves around the quartet (which will be posted by my partner in due time). This chapter runs from December 25 to December 26, 2006.

You will also notice a reference to an actual fanfic of a1y_puff used by Aiba and Kimeru. We've informed the said author about this and I shall credit them now for the fanfiction used.

**ALSO! None of the authors of this roleplay/fanfic own TeniMyu or the actors, but are mere fangirls of the musical series and corresponding actors we write about. Everything that progresses in the story is the creation of our witty imaginations.

* * *

+++December 25, 2006+++

It was 9 in the morning when Takigawa had stirred, shaking off the last of his sleep away as he got up, promptly releasing himself from Kimeru's hold before he went to check on the two in the next room. Slipping his head through the gap, the first Tezuka actor saw that both were still fast asleep. Nodding to himself, Takigawa quietly closed the door and proceeded downstairs; recovering the cookbook Kimeru had given him and moved into the kitchen. To his delight, the electricity had come back as he enthusiastically browsed through the book, looking for a simple breakfast to make.

-break-

Aiba yawned as he found himself awake. _'Why do I keep getting up early?'_ he asked himself as he slowly got up and went downstairs. He found Takigawa in the kitchen. "Ohayou, Eiji-nii..." he greeted.

Takigawa set the cookbook down. "I see..." he muttered to himself before he turned to the door and grinned. "Ohayou, Aibacchin. You're up early," he pointed out as he moved to the pantry.

"Hai...but I'm not entirely sure why..." he said. "What are you making, Eiji-nii? Can I help?"

Takigawa nodded. "Aa. I plan to make some Grilled Cheese on Raisin Bread... Could you locate the raisin bread and corn syrup over here?" he asked, gesturing to the pantry as he moved to the fridge. "I'll get the cheese and butter."

"Hai," Aiba replied as he went over the pantry to look around. He found the two items quickly and pulled them out and placed them on the counter. "Here they are, Eiji-nii," he said.

Takigawa nodded, closing the fridge and returned with the butter and cheese. "Sankyu, Aibacchin. Now..." he set them down and moved to the cookbook, reading through the procedure. Nodding to himself, he moved to the cupboard to retrieve some plates and a frying pan, extracting some knives and a spatula from the utensils drawer. "Saa, let's get to work!" he said, after putting on his new apron and took a few pieces of raisin bread and spread them out, cutting them in triangle halves. "Could you spread some butter on one side of each slice, Aibacchin?" he asked, handing the butter and a butter knife to the boy, as well as a few slices of bread. "I'll prepare the pan for grilling," he explained before moving to the stove after washing the pan.

"Okay, Eiji-nii!" Aiba said happily as he concentrated on the task at hand.

-break-

Kimeru, in the meantime, had just woken up from his slumber. He looked at the clock and groaned. "Great...why am I not waking up early?" he asked himself.

-break-

Takigawa got the frying pan heated up and returned to check up on Aiba. "I'll take the ones you've finished," he said as he took two buttered slices and folded a slice of Velveeta cheese between them like a sandwich, and did the same with another pair before bringing them to the pan to grill. He set the heat to medium and took a spatula and lightly pressed the bread and cheese mix.

-break-

Shirota shifted in bed, clutching his Aiba plushie as he pulled the comforter over him, trying to find more sleep.

-break-

As Aiba finished his small task he looked at what Takigawa was doing.

Takigawa repeated this process while simultaneously checking the ones in the pan, flipping them over when he needed to, and transferred them to a serving plate when they were done. It wasn't long before he had a plate full of Grilled Cheese on the counter as he turned off the heat from the stove. "All done," he announced. "I wonder if the other two are awake yet..." he wondered out loud.

"Maybe Kime-nii will be up soon...but Yuu...he might take a while longer," Aiba said as he helped in setting the table.

Takigawa shrugged as he brought his concoction to the table and set it in the center. "If we leave Shiropon to sleep like this, he'll end up sleeping until noon..." he said. "I think I'll go see if I can wake him up. I'll have to bring him downstairs sometime today, anyway..." he mused, heading for the stairs with his apron still on.

"Okay," Aiba said as Takigawa headed upstairs. "Aa- Eiji-nii! You still have your...apron on…" He looked around and noticed that he wasn't able to tell Takigawa the latter part of his message.

-break-

Kimeru opened the door to the hall, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "Huh?" he said as he saw Takigawa; he glanced at the words on the apron the man had on before grinning. When Takigawa was in front of him, Kimeru grabbed him and kissed him.

"Oha-" Takigawa greeted, but was cut off when Kimeru had kissed him. Having missed this feeling, Takigawa returned it before promptly pulling back. "A nice way to start the morning, Kime-kun," he teased.

Kimeru, his arms still around Takigawa, smiled. "I was just following directions..." he said slyly, referring to the text on the apron.

Takigawa looked down and blushed before clearing his throat. "I was just about to wake Shirotan up," he said conversationally. "Breakfast is on the table."

"I'll go ahead then...see you downstairs!" Kimeru answered with a smile as he detached himself from Takigawa and went off to go downstairs. _'Now I remember why I bought that...'_ he thought. "Ohayou, Aibacchin~" he greeted.

Aiba grinned. "Looks like you had a nice start in the morning, Kime-nii," he said.

"I sure did," Kimeru answered with a smirk.

-break-

Takigawa watched Kimeru head downstairs as he proceeded to enter Shirota and Aiba's room. He shrugged to find the boy still sleeping. _'He really likes to sleep in, doesn't he?'_ he told himself with a sigh. He entered and moved up to the bed, attempting to shake the boy awake. "Shirotan... Time to get up..." he said.

Shirota stirred slightly as Takigawa pulled the comforter off him. "Izzitmorning?" he asked groggily as he rubbed his eyes. He was still cuddling his Aiba plushie. The Fuji plushie was on Aiba's side of the bed.

Takigawa nodded. "Yes. It's time for breakfast. C'mon, let's get you downstairs..." he began, sitting down on the bed. "Get on my back," he instructed.

Shirota set his plushie down and moved to do so, clinging onto Takigawa's neck as the older man heaved the boy's weight before they set off. "What time is it?" Shirota asked, yawning.

"Quarter to 10," Takigawa replied as he carefully started down the stairs.

-break-

Kimeru was already halfway with his breakfast while Aiba was already done with his. They were talking about random things when they saw the two come down.

Takigawa arrived in the kitchen and settled Shirota into a chair before wiping the sweat off his forehead. "There we go!" he said, moving to his own seat. "A-re? You two didn't even bother waiting for us..." he said, frowning.

"We were hungry..." they both reasoned.

Shirota rubbed his eyes. "What's for breakfast?" he asked.

"Here you go. Eiji-nii made it, as usual," Aiba said with a smile as he placed a plate in front of Shirota.

"Grilled cheese on raisin bread," Takigawa explained, holding out a bottle of corn syrup. "It's good with this. Rather sweet, isn't it, Aibacchin?" he asked, turning to the youngest of the four.

"Hai~~" Aiba answered with a smile.

Shirota took the bottle and doused his slices with the syrup and took a bite. A wide grin spread across his face as soon as he swallowed. "This is delicious!" he proclaimed, taking another bite.

"With the quantity he used on his share...I won't be surprised if he started bouncing off the walls later, regardless of injuries…" Kimeru said with a smirk as he looked at Aiba.

"Mou…it wasn't a lot," Aiba reasoned.

"You used half the bottle, Hiroki," Kimeru said flatly.

Shirota jerked his head over to Aiba. "YOU DID?" he said, surprised.

Takigawa took the bottle and frowned to see that the contents had indeed been decreased by that much.

"Er...Yes?" Aiba replied with a sheepish smile.

Kimeru chuckled. "It's a good thing that Moriyama stocked more than one of those," he said.

Takigawa nodded silently as Shirota finished his share of breakfast. When the two were finished, the four sat there at the table for a while before Takigawa stood. "Saa, let's transfer to the living room. I'm sure somebody wants to watch the DVDs he got last night," he teased, sending a grin to Aiba before moving to help Shirota from his seat. "Ah, Kime-kun, would you mind washing the dishes today?"

Kimeru smiled. "No problem," he said with a thumbs-up sign before collecting the dishes to wash them. Aiba smiled as he stood before heading to the living room.

"Which one are you going to watch first, Hiroki?" Shirota inquired as soon as Takigawa set him down on the couch before he turned to Takigawa. "Seriously, Eiji-nii... I think I could manage with crutches..."

"I know..." Takigawa admitted as he adjusted some pillows underneath Shirota's leg to elevate it. "But I want you to recover quickly..." he muttered with a sincere smile on his face as he moved to sit himself down on the armchair.

"I think I'll go watch the one you gave me first, Eiji-nii," Aiba said as he set up the DVD. The video played, and he was surprised what came up first. The picture Endo had placed on his blog, followed by a message from Endo himself. "What an intro…" Aiba said with a smirk.

"Ahh!" Shirota exclaimed, pointing to the picture that was flashed. "I still haven't given him a piece of my mind with that picture..!" he stated defiantly.

Takigawa laughed. "You were wondering when he took that picture, right?"

Aiba nodded. "That's right. If I remember correctly, Yuu and I were able to lock the doors whenever we ...um... engaged in our activities..." he said.

"Endo-kun has his ways of getting into places before they're sealed off..." Takigawa explained as he looked over to the TV screen.

"It would seem so," Aiba said as he looked at the screen again; this time it showed him and his cast mates goofing off while on a break. "Eiji-nii...I just have to ask...where did you get these?" he asked.

"I had a little help onstage," Takigawa replied cheekily.

"I bet it was Yusuke," Shirota guessed, folding his arms over his chest.

Takigawa turned to Shirota. "How did you know?"

"It was just a guess. Was I right?" Shirota inquired, grinning.

"So that's why he kept bringing his digital camera...he was recording everyone when he weren't looking," Aiba said with a thoughtful look. "A-re? You even asked the others how we got together?" Aiba exclaimed as Adachi was shown, sharing a little bit of his experience during the time the cast went out drinking.

-video-

_**"That was the most terrifying yet amusing moment of my times with Aibacchin! One minute he was like 'Yeah...I like Shirotan...' and the next he was glaring at me and holding me by the collar, threatening to kill me if I told anyone!" Adachi said with a nervous laugh. "...er...don't kill me Aibacchin..."**_

-video-

Takigawa chuckled. "_That_ came from Yanagi-kun. He begged me to include it in the DVD," he explained.

"I wonder why he did that..." Aiba said. "...and remind me to murder Adachi when I see him..." he said darkly.

"What did I miss? ...oh look, Aiba's drunk..." Kimeru said as he looked at the screen.

"Don't need to get angry, Hiroki..." Shirota said, trying to calm Aiba down.

"I'm not mad..." Aiba said with a sigh before turning his attention back to the short film. Indeed it was a short clip of their little drinking session...complete with subtitles at that. "I didn't know that you started dancing on the table..." Aiba said to Shirota in surprise.

Shirota's face flushed as he scratched his cheek. "Well... Alcohol makes you do the strangest things..." he explained.

"So does chocolate," Takigawa teased.

Shirota glared over to Takigawa and threw a pillow at him. "Don't insult my love for chocolate!" he stated defiantly.

Takigawa caught the pillow with ease, chuckling. "Alright, alright. I won't."

The video carried on for a few more minutes. When the video ended Aiba smiled at Takigawa. "That must have been hard work. Thank you again, Eiji-nii!" he said.

Takigawa nodded. "It wasn't easy splicing everything together," he admitted.

Kimeru smiled. "I see that you've kept yourself busy while I was at work..." he said.

"I did quite an assortment of things... That DVD... your scrapbook..." Takigawa went on to explain.

Shirota smirked. "And Hiroki found time behind my back to carve this!" he pointed out, pulling the wood carving into view.

Aiba chuckled. "That actually...would be answered by the fact that I always woke up late," he said.

"Eh? You stayed up late every night to do this?" Shirota stated incredulously.

"Sort of..." Aiba admitted.

Kimeru walked up and sat on the armrest of what Takigawa was sitting on. "That's right. Even during the time you were asleep at the hospital he was worried about not finishing it, right Eiji?" he said.

Takigawa nodded in confirmation as Shirota's eyes started to form tears and looked at the finished product. "All year long...?" he asked quietly, bringing up a hand to wipe the tears away.

Aiba smiled. "Not really...I started at around April..." he said, "And I didn't finish it on my own, Eiji-nii and Kime-nii helped out as well," he said.

Kimeru chuckled. "We only did the varnish and the sandpapering…everything else was Aibacchin."

Shirota set the carving carefully on the coffee table before holding a hand out to Aiba. "Ne... can I hug you?" he asked sheepishly.

Takigawa chuckled. "Does that even need to be asked?" he teased.

Aiba smiled widely as he moved to hug Shirota.

"You two…honestly," Kimeru said with an amused chuckle.

"Leave them alone, Kime-kun..." Takigawa said, looking over to the two.

"Hai Hai..." Kimeru said. "Let's give them some alone time..." he said as he pulled Takigawa to the kitchen.

"You know something, Hiroki?" Shirota inquired as he wrapped his arms protectively around the boy.

"What is it, Yuu?" Aiba asked.

"I love you," Shirota whispered. "Whatever happens...we'll always be there for each other, na?"

"That's right, Yuu...we'll always be there for one another no matter what happens," Aiba said as he pulled back a bit to look at Shirota, a small smile forming on his lips. "You know full well that I love you too…" he said softly as he leaned forward to kiss the other boy.

-break-

Nothing extravagant was prepared for Christmas Day, save for Takigawa and Kimeru cooking Christmas dinner, which delighted both Shirota and Aiba's taste buds. Immediately after dessert - which consisted of another slice of the chocolate cake from the night before - Shirota had asked Takigawa to bring him upstairs after stating that he wanted to resign to bed early. Takigawa complied almost immediately and helped the boy up to their room. He helped him settle into bed before closing the door behind him.

It was only 10 in the evening, which had meant that there were two hours left before Shirota's birthday arrived. Takigawa returned to the living room downstairs and reclaimed his seat on the armchair. "So... when do you plan to surprise him?" he inquired to the two.

"In the morning..." Aiba said.

Kimeru blinked. "Nee...Hiro…about your gift for him," he started.

"What about it, Kime-nii?" Aiba asked.

"How did you manage to pull it off?"

Aiba smiled. "Secret."

"We can find out tomorrow, Kime-kun," Takigawa reasoned. "Saa, Aibacchin, you should go off to bed as well. You want to surprise Shiropon tomorrow, don't you?" he said as he moved to his stack of gifts.

"Hai~ Oyasumi, Kime-nii, Eiji-nii!" Aiba said before heading upstairs to go to bed.

Kimeru smiled and waved at him as he went upstairs. As soon as he heard the bedroom door open and close he smirked and went over to Takigawa, hugging him from behind. "Eiji..." he said slyly.

"I wanted to watch this," Takigawa explained, pulling out the DVD Aiba had given him as he looked over his shoulder to Kimeru. "Do you want to watch it with me?" he asked quietly, ducking down and pulling Kimeru into a piggy back.

Kimeru pouted when he heard Takigawa's response to his teasing, but his mood brightened at the mention of the DVD. "It does sound interesting. Let's watch!" he said enthusiastically.

Takigawa spun around before heading to the DVD player. "Yosh, let's pop this in the player, then," he announced. With Kimeru still on his back, he handed the case to him. "If you would do the honors," he requested.

"Hai~" Kimeru said as he managed to put the DVD in the player. "There we go."

Takigawa took the remote controllers and moved back to the couch, setting Kimeru down on the couch before joining him, turning the TV on and played the DVD player.

"Both you and Aiba seem to have a lot of time in your hands to able to do these projects of yours," Kimeru told him as he snuggled next to him.

Takigawa wrapped an arm around Kimeru, smiling. "That's because our partners are always busier than we are that we have time to kill," he teased.

Kimeru grinned. "Well...then I have a surprise for you...I have a year off from album making. Press release about it is after New Year's," he said.

Takigawa took Kimeru's lips with his own. "That's the best news I've heard all year, Kime-kun," he said quietly, his attention pulled away from the DVD.

"Now all you have to worry about is how not to get sick of my presence haunting your everyday life," he said with a smile.

"I don't think that's possible," Takigawa stated pointedly.

"And why would that be not possible?" Kimeru asked.

"Having you around reassures me that I have nothing to worry about, that's why," Takigawa explained with a soft kiss.

Kimeru smiled as he leaned on Takigawa. "Ne...Eiji...I've been wondering..." he started. "Whatever happened to that girl that went to the hospital before...remember her?"

-break-

Aiba woke up as he felt a jolt of pain in his arm. He winced as he bit his lip to keep himself from making any sounds that might wake up the one sleeping just beside him.

"Aibacchin..." Shirota called, clawing around the bed before grabbing hold of the plushie and pulled it close, cuddling it. "I love you..." he muttered in his sleep.

Aiba felt the pain subside after a while and heard what Shirota said in his sleep. He chuckled quietly as he sat up. "I love you too, Shirotan..." he said before kissing Shirota on the cheek. He looked at him for a while before going back to sleep.

-break-

Takigawa paused the DVD, setting the remote on the table, shrugging. "I do, but I'd rather not..." he replied bluntly. "She was partly responsible for getting Shirota and Aiba involved with Minami's family..."

"I know...but you know what bothers me? It's the fact that if Shiozawa-kun wasn't able to get the plate number of the car that took Shirota...those two could have..." Kimeru trailed off.

Takigawa nodded grimly. "I heard from Keisuke-kun what went on after he asked his father about what happened. It seems that before Keisuke-kun arrived, his father had given Aiba a choice to leave Shirota for Keisuke-kun so that he wouldn't invoke more damage than what he already dealt on the two... And Aiba had agreed... I believe that hearing that was a harsh blow to Shirota, which would explain why he was so distant when we were in the hospital..." he explained slowly. "Shirota wanted to shoulder the blame on himself for what happened because he couldn't protect Aiba..."

"Count on Shirota to be like that," Kimeru said with a heavy sigh. "And for Aibacchin to agree to those terms...he must have felt lost at that time too..." he continued. "After all...in their case, separation from one another is just like experiencing isolation."

Takigawa nodded in agreement as his gaze averted to the stairs. "I wouldn't imagine them being with anybody else besides one another."

"That's right...now I understand why Shirota acted that way back then..." Kimeru answered with a sigh.

"Let's just hope tomorrow puts this phase of their life to a close..." Takigawa said quietly.

"Aa...now let's go continue that DVD," Kimeru said.

Takigawa turned to the TV. "Ah, right. I almost forgot about that," he apologized, retrieving the remote and played the DVD once more.

Kimeru chuckled before turning his attention to the DVD.

-break-

It was after an hour and a half that the two decided to head to bed. After all, they had the morning to look forward to.

+++December 26, 2006+++

Kimeru was the first one to get up, or so he thought. He headed downstairs only to discover that breakfast was already on the table. "What?" he said as he looked at the food.

"Ohayou, Kime-nii," Aiba greeted as he came out of the kitchen.

"How did you…?"

-break-

Takigawa had woken up to an empty bedside. He sat up, rubbing the back of his head as he chuckled. _'Looks like he got ahead of me today...'_ he told himself as he got out of bed and got ready for the day. After pulling some clothes on, he headed downstairs and entered the kitchen, surprised to find the dining table decorated with breakfast. "Who-"

Kimeru grinned as he pointed at Aiba. "It wasn't me. It was him," he said.

Takigawa smirked. "Do you want me to wake the birthday boy up?" he inquired, gesturing a thumb upstairs.

"Let him sleep in, it's his day," Kimeru said and Aiba nodded in agreement.

"Then what would you do if he decides to sleep until noon?" Takigawa asked off-handedly as he took a seat at the table.

"Let him sleep in till 10, then," Kimeru said.

"10:30," Aiba said suddenly.

Takigawa blinked, looking over to Aiba before slowly nodded. "Alright... 10:30, then..." he stated before attending to breakfast.

Aiba smiled as soon as the matter was agreed on. "Ne, Kime-nii...where did you find the plushie? I mean if there were any I would have been informed by my manager..." he asked.

Kimeru grinned. "You haven't figured it out? I had it custom-made."

Takigawa pulled out his phone where a miniature accessory of Kimeru dangled. "Same place this was made," he explained.

"So that's why..." Aiba said as he looked at the phone accessory.

"I'm sure it wouldn't be difficult for Kime-kun to have them make you a Shirota plushie... Unless he already has..." Takigawa said, looking over to Kimeru as he took his glass of juice and downed its contents.

Kimeru grinned. "You just had to ruin my fun…" he said as he went to the living room and went to the bags. "Here Aibacchin. Catch!" he said as he threw the plushie to Aiba who caught in with one hand.

"It...looks just like him..." Aiba said.

"That's the point," Kimeru said with a chuckle.

-break-

"NO! HIROKI!" Shirota shouted, sitting up abruptly as he looked around, rubbing his eyes. "A-re? It was just a dream..." he told himself as he looked down to see his Aiba plushie at his lap. "Why am I having a nightmare about that event..." he muttered angrily to himself, frowning to see the other side of the bed empty.

-break-

"I'll go check on Yuu for a while," Aiba said as he headed upstairs, plushie in hand. As soon as he got to the bedroom, he quietly opened the door and peeked inside. "Yuu?" he called out quietly before seeing Shirota frown at his side of the bed. "Something wrong?" he asked as he went inside.

Shirota hastily wiped the tears that had fallen from his eyes moments before and turned to Aiba, forcing a smile. "O...Ohayou, Hiroki," he said quietly. "I'm fine... Just had a nightmare that woke me up..." he explained, pulling his Aiba plushie close.

Aiba sat on the side of the bed, put the plushie down, and placed his hand on Shirota's cheek. "Want to tell me about it?" he asked softly.

"It was about that day..." Shirota stated, bringing a hand to his healing shoulder, shutting his eyes. "Like it was happening all over again..."

Aiba sighed sadly. "Yuu..." he said, unsure of what to say. After a few moments of silence he stood up and one-handedly embraced Shirota, unable to do anything else for his partner.

"I thought I was going to lose you again..." Shirota whispered, taking hold of one of Aiba's sleeves and clutched onto it.

-break-

"Hmm..." Takigawa sighed as he looked over to the stairs before looked over to Kimeru. "If Shirotan was still asleep, Aibacchin would've come back down already... Unless something happened..."

"If something did then Aibacchin would have called us. Don't worry Eiji...they'll come down eventually," Kimeru said.

-break-

Aiba held him closer; he bit his lip as he felt the guilt come back. _'It's also my fault for giving up back then...'_ he thought as he remembered that dreadful moment.

"Just..." Shirota whispered when he found his voice. "Just promise me you'll never say anything like that again... Even under those circumstances... It hurts more to know that you'll leave me than any physical punishment..." he said, his hands trembling.

Aiba nodded silently. "I promise you that I'll never do it again... I was so stupid that I gave up like that...I'm so sorry, Yuu..." he said sadly.

Shirota nodded in silence. After he managed to calm down a bit, he spotted the plushie of himself and reached out to get it. "Where did this come from?" he inquired. Squinting his strained eyes to examine it better, Shirota's eyes suddenly widened. "WHY DOES THIS LOOK LIKE ME?" he exclaimed, turning from the plushie to Aiba and back. "Sugoi!" A wide grin replaced his frown in a second.

Aiba blinked as he became a bit disoriented by the sudden change. "A-re?" he said as he looked at Shirota and his plushie equivalent in his hands. "Oh...that's a late Christmas gift from Kime-nii...apparently both that and yours are custom-made," he explained. "Which reminds me!" Aiba said with a smile. "Happy Birthday!" he greeted before kissing Shirota on the cheek.

"Arigatou!" Shirota replied, pulling Aiba into a hug, careful of the boy's arm.

Aiba laughed a bit. "I'll go get Eiji-nii to help you get downstairs. I made breakfast today," he said as he pulled himself free of Shirota's hug. "I'll be quick," he promised as he went out. "Eiji-niiiiiiiiiiiiii!" he called out as he ran downstairs. "Yuu is awake!" he announced happily.

Takigawa rose from his seat. "About time," he stated before heading upstairs into the room. He smirked at the sight of the boy. "Birthday boy woke up before noon, I see," he teased.

Shirota grinned. "I just woke up from a ni-I mean my body just decided to wake me up," he replied hastily.

Takigawa nodded as he moved to help the boy out of bed. "Would you like a piggy-back?" he inquired.

"If it's no trouble, yes," Shirota replied cheekily.

"Alright, then." Takigawa propped Shirota onto his back before they headed back downstairs.

"There you are. Happy birthday Shiropon!" Kimeru greeted as soon as he saw the two from the stairs.

"Arigatou, Kime-nii," Shirota said in thanks as Takigawa moved into the living room, setting Shirota down on the couch.

"I'll get you some breakfast," Takigawa announced, moving into the kitchen and got a share of Aiba's cooked breakfast before returning with a tray and set it down on the table. "Aibacchin took the liberty of waking up early and making breakfast for everybody. Enjoy," he explained.

Shirota blinked, looking at the tray and chuckled. "Itadakimasu!" he chimed, reaching out to dig in.

Aiba smiled as he watched Shirota eat for a moment before looking at Kimeru. "You ready, Kime-nii?" he asked in a whisper.

"Aa. After lunch, right?" Kimeru said and Aiba nodded.

-break-

When Shirota was finished with his meal, Takigawa went off to clean the dishes as Shirota looked over to the others. "Care to tell me what's happening today?" he inquired eagerly.

"You'll find out after lunch, Shiropon...for the meantime I would recommend you to not do anything that might cause you to fall asleep later on," Kimeru said and Aiba nodded in agreement.

"So just sit back and relax in the meantime," Aiba added.

"So what am I supposed to do until then?" Shirota stated with a frown.

Aiba thought for a moment. "I brought my PSP along..." Aiba said.

"And we can link it to mine for a two player game," Kimeru added.

"Depends what games you have on your PSP..." Shirota mused as Takigawa returned from the kitchen.

"Well...I do have Tekken 5, Sonic, Naruto…" Aiba continued listing down the games he had in his PSP.

Kimeru looked at them for a while when a random memory came to him. "Hey Eiji...I just remembered something..." he said quietly to Takigawa so that he wouldn't disturb the other two. "I once knew someone from Senior High...and he told me that once I become a J-Pop artist, he would get all my albums… I wonder whatever happened to him…" he said fondly.

"Probably kept his promise and _did_ get all your albums," Takigawa replied with a soft chuckle. "But... Now that I think about it... I remember making that same sort of promise to my partner in the Student Partner program... He quit the school band for that quarter so that he could concentrate on getting his grade up..." he said reminiscently.

Kimeru's eyes widened. "Eiji...did you go to Mitsukaru High?" he asked suddenly.

Aiba heard the name of the school and paused from listing down the games he had.

Takigawa nodded slowly.

Shirota had turned his attention to the older two as well. "A-re? What's this about Mitsukaru High?" he inquired.

Kimeru jumped to his feet and pointed to Takigawa. "Takigawa of the Student Council!" he said in realization.

Aiba turned his attention to Takigawa. "T-T-Takigawa-senpai? The one who went out with..." Aiba looked at Kimeru slowly. "...with my roommate...Kimeru-senpai..."

"Impossible..." Kimeru whispered.

"EHHH?" Shirota cried in disbelief. "That would mean that..." He looked over to Takigawa.

"You and I..." Takigawa began.

"WERE CHILDHOOD FRIENDS?" they finished simultaneously.

"No wonder I vaguely remember a senpai who was good in cooking that I spent some time sleeping over at his place..." Shirota muttered to himself.

"So it was Shirotan who I was hanging around with when I was younger..." Takigawa stated.

Kimeru grinned, a grin that was very similar to the one he used to do in senior high. "So you were that boring guy I was stuck with in second year," he teased.

"And you were the senpai that killed my alarm clock..." Aiba fired back.

Kimeru laughed. "Regardless of that...If I remember correctly...Aibacchin and Shiropon became an item back then, right Eiji?" he asked.

Shirota slowly turned to Aiba. "So you were the guy I first brought out to that yakiniku restaurant and spent half my allowance on..." he stated slowly, the memories starting to rush back to him.

Takigawa chuckled fondly. "Aa. I'm surprised it took them a while to realize it... I mean, with Shirotan bringing Aibacchin to a yakiniku restaurant, and Aibacchin mostly taking Shirotan's pictures for the school paper, and Shirotan inviting Aibacchin to the night carnival..." he shook his head in mock disappointment.

Kimeru smiled. "Aa...it was quite obvious that they liked each other...took them longer than we did to get together, though," he said with a chuckle.

Aiba blushed a bit. "It's not my fault that I didn't know that he liked me..." he defended.

"Shirota was inviting you to all sorts of places like they were dates. I'm surprised he didn't notice that himself," Takigawa teased.

Shirota rubbed his nose out of distraction. "I wanted to see him smile and have fun..." he muttered. "It was rare when he'd crack a smile, after all... Since he wasn't comfortable with his roommate at the time..." he added, looking over to Kimeru.

Kimeru grinned. "It's not my fault that he was so serious in the first place," he said. "Besides, wasn't it you who eventually brought Aibacchin out of his shell?" he teased.

Aiba looked at Shirota and smiled at him. "That's right. If it wasn't for you I would have been the same serious kid all throughout Senior High," he said.

Kimeru nodded as he sat back down. "One thing amusing about all this...is we all still ended up together," he said as he nodded at Takigawa. "Some of us in more ways than one," he added with a soft smile.

"There was no way I'd be able to deal with a classmate like that all throughout Senior High..." Shirota teased.

Takigawa smiled, tugging Kimeru closer and took him into a chaste kiss.

"You almost did if Kime-nii and Eiji-nii didn't help us..." Aiba teased.

"Now that I think about it...almost everyone in the musicals were our schoolmates, weren't they?" Kimeru said.

Aiba nodded. "Aa..."

"Yanagi... Endo... Zukki... Adachi... Kujirai... Wada-kun..." Shirota said, listing down their cast members as he counted them with his fingers.

"Nagayan...Sota...Abe…Moriyama...Tuti...Yanagi...and Naoya," Kimeru said as he listed down the first cast.

Aiba smiled. "Big coincidence isn't it?" he said. "And if I remember correctly...I should still have those soccer photos somewhere at home."

"You do?" Shirota said in disbelief, turning to Aiba, his cheeks flushing a slight tinge of red.

Takigawa laughed. "I remember you took... what, nearly 30 pictures?" he asked, looking over to Aiba.

"47 if I recall correctly..." Aiba admitted with a small smile.

"So…are you going to tell us now why you really took those pictures?" Kimeru asked.

"It's quite obvious now, isn't it?" Aiba said.

Kimeru chuckled. "True..."

"All this reminiscing is making me hungry again..." Shirota whined.

"That reminds me..." Takigawa said as he rose to his feet. "I'll get started with lunch, then," he said, grinning before excusing himself and headed to the kitchen.

Kimeru and Aiba looked at one another. "Lunch?" they repeated. Aiba smiled as he nodded at Kimeru who nodded back. The two Fuji actors and former roommates chuckled.

Shirota furrowed his eyebrows suspiciously. "Should I be cringing in fear with you two chuckling like that..?" he asked carefully.

"Of course not, Yuu," Aiba said with a smile.

"That's right. Now the two of you will stay here while I assist Eiji in the kitchen," Kimeru told them before standing up.

"Hai~" Shirota replied.

-break-

Takigawa was in the kitchen retrieving a variety of ingredients from the pantry and the fridge, setting them on the counter every opportunity he got.

Kimeru smiled as he appeared behind Takigawa. "So what are we making?" he asked.

"Okonomiyaki," Takigawa stated as he prepared the skillet.

Kimeru nodded. "Okay," he said as he assisted Takigawa.

Takigawa gave Kimeru instructions to stir the water and eggs together and add the other ingredients accordingly as he began frying the bacon in the skillet.

-break-

Aiba looked over at Shirota and asked, "Nee...do you remember who our teacher was in first year?"

Shirota nodded. "It's hard to forget Ueshima-sensei, really..."

Aiba chuckled. "True...Ueshima-sensei...another one who saw through us," he said.

"Why didn't we remember each other from back then when we met during Side Yamabuki...?" Shirota inquired, stroking his chin in thought.

"Hmm...I don't know really...but it's funny…to think that the person I've been admiring from afar had been with me before," Aiba said with a chuckle.

"It can't have been because we suddenly got too immersed in our own works that we lost contact with each other... I mean... Seeing one another should've made instant recall possible..." Shirota reasoned.

"That's true..." Aiba said. Then a thought came suddenly to mind. "Wait...it's impossible that my parents haven't noticed it...even if we didn't then they should have..." he said before sighing. "If they _did_ know something...I must have looked stupid back then."

Shirota chuckled. "That's most likely the case if your parents knew about it," he replied.

Aiba sighed. "They could have told me about it, though," he said.

"Isn't that how your father operates, though?" Shirota teased.

Aiba smiled at this. "True...that's how he does his way."

Shirota grinned, looking around. "Na, can I borrow your PSP?"

"Sure. Here you go," Aiba said as he handed the console to Shirota.

-break-

"Are you ready with the batter, Kime-kun?" Takigawa called, having already set the bacon aside and began heating the skillet over medium heat, coating it with cooking spray.

Kimeru nodded. "Hai~ It's ready," he answered.

Takigawa took the batter and proceeded to prepare the dinner pancake.

Kimeru looked at what Takigawa was doing. "I'm still wondering why you became a model instead of a chef," he said.

"It's just something I like to do on the side," Takigawa explained. "I can have more fun knowing how to cook compared to having to cook something many times. I can experiment whenever I want to," he added.

"Have you ever considered making your own cookbook?" Kimeru asked.

"Not containing my own recipes, but of my personal favorite dishes," Takigawa explained as he transferred a finished product to a dish before starting on another. He turned to Kimeru. "I compiled one for Shirota," he stated quietly.

Kimeru chuckled. "Don't worry, I won't," he said. "I'm sure he'll appreciate it...though why didn't you give it yet?"

"I'm saving it for tonight," Takigawa replied, working on the second pancake.

Kimeru nodded. "Aa, so you were saving it as a birthday present. I'm glad you told me; that would work well with what Hiro and I will be doing," he said.

"That is still a mystery to me," Takigawa admitted, now doing the third.

"It won't be a mystery once lunch is over," Kimeru said.

-break-

Shirota turned the PSP on and moved through the list of games, choosing Virtua Tennis and waited for it to start up. Aiba watched as Shirota started playing. Shirota was already playing an exhibition match and was fiddling with the controls as he cried out a few moves. "Zero Shiki Serve!"

"Z-Zero Shiki serve? You can do that there?" Aiba asked.

Shirota cheered when he won a game before stating, "Of course not. I'm just over-exaggerating," he explained pointedly before he began the second game. "Dunk Smash~!" he declared, moving his player up to the net and performed a smash, getting him a point. "YOSH!"

Aiba chuckled. "You do know that I have a raw version of the Prince of Tennis game there..." he pointed out.

Shirota nodded. "It's fine..." he said, scoring another point.

-break-

Takigawa smirked. "True..." He continued making the last two in silence before finally finishing. He made the final decorations before bringing out the Okonomiyaki to the living room. "Lunch time!" he announced.

Shirota paused the game and put it on hold before handing the PSP to its owner. He turned to the tray and his eyes lit up. "SUGOI!" A wide grin spread across his face. "I haven't had this in a long time," he admitted.

"I hope you enjoy it, then," Takigawa said, offering one to him.

Aiba looked at the screen, checking Shirota's current standing. _'He already beat my score?'_ he thought incredulously.

Kimeru, after washing the kitchen utensils that they used, joined them.

"Itadakimasu!" Shirota stated before helping himself to his pancake, thoroughly enjoying it.

Aiba ate quietly still not believing that he had been beaten by Shirota in another game.

-break-

As soon as they were done, Kimeru took the dishes and headed off to the kitchen to take care of them.

"I'll be right back!" Aiba said as he went upstairs.

Takigawa and Shirota looked at one another and shrugged as Shirota reached out for Aiba's PSP and continued his game.

"Yosh! Dishes are done!" Kimeru announced a few minutes later, as soon as he spoke music (that suspiciously sounded like a Myu song) started up in the background.

"Kime-nii! Catch!" Aiba said from the stairs as he threw a microphone to Kimeru who caught it with ease.

"It's that time already, Hiro?" Kimeru asked with a smile.

"Hai~" Aiba answered.

Shirota lowered the PSP, pausing the game as he furrowed his eyebrows. "What's-"

Takigawa leaned back on the armchair. "This should be interesting," he said happily.

"Eh?" Shirota looked over to Takigawa, wondering what he had meant.

"Yosh! So let me begin by telling you, Shiropon, that you are being punked. No I'm kidding...so anyway..." Kimeru said before clearing his throat. "This little presentation was formulated by your one and hopefully only, Hiroki," he teased. "Who also happens to be my co-host for this afternoon."

Aiba smiled as he went to stand beside Kimeru. "Hai, that's right. Since we figured that we wouldn't really have much to do today we thought about giving you your own private show. So!" he said as he sat on the armrest beside Shirota. "Kime-nii shall begin by reenacting some scenes that you might find familiar and at the same time memorable. Dozo."

Kimeru nodded as he approached Takigawa. "I'm afraid that you would have to assist me here, Eiji," he said as he pulled Takigawa to his feet.

"You could've at least told me beforehand..." Takigawa stated in mild annoyance before he got to his feet.

"Oh don't worry, you won't have to do anything but stand in one place," Kimeru said in assurance as he placed the microphone on the sofa nearby.

"This is a scene from one of the Myu backstage...I'm sure you remember this one," Aiba said. "Action!"

"A-re? What's this?" Kimeru said as he looked at the floor to pretend to pick up something. "A letter?" he said as he examined what he picked up.

"Oi, Zukki is this yours?" Kimeru asked Takigawa but before the other could say something he immediately turned around. "Wait…no…there's a name written here..." he said as he walked away from Takigawa.

Aiba stood up at this point. "Shirotan~ what do you have there?" he asked Kimeru who placed his hands on his back.

"Nothing!" he answered quickly.

"What is it? A love letter? I'm going to tell Aibacchin~~" Aiba said in a singsong voice, like the one Adachi used as Kikumaru.

"Wait! Adachi! Don't let him-...find out..." Kimeru trailed off. "He left..." he started walking around. "What to do with this...maybe I should just place it in someone else's locker...or maybe I should give it to Ueshima-sensei..." he started muttering. "Either way I can't let Aibacchin see that I have a love letter..."

"Who has a love letter?" Aiba said, moving again towards Kimeru who turned around and backed away.

"A-Aibacchin..." he said slowly, looking as if he was trying to force a smile. "I don't know where it came from I swear!" he said as he showed Aiba the 'envelope'.

Aiba grinned and chuckled. "Baka...that came from me."

"Wha-"

"Have fun reading! I'll just be at the rehearsal area," Aiba said before facing Shirota again.

"End! That was courtesy of Endo's magical hacking skills to get into the security cameras!" Kimeru said. "So let's stop making fools of ourselves now, Hiroki."

"Hai~~ Listen carefully Yuu. Kime-nii here will be your personal radio for the next five minutes, so if you want to hear any song, anything at all…even if it's the Voltes V song. Kime-nii will surely sing it for you," Aiba said.

Kimeru frowned. "I thought we agreed on anything besides the Voltes V song!"

Shirota burst out laughing at the scene before calming down enough to think up of a song. "Then..." he paused, grinning. "Kime-nii, do you know the song I sang when I was in SeraMyu entitled _**'The Prince of the Earth'**_?" he inquired.

Kimeru nodded. "I did my research and thanks to Moriyama's wi-fi, I have managed to study that song..." he said as Aiba went over to the stereo and shut the sounds. Kimeru closed his eyes for a moment to remember the song; when he opened his eyes he started singing.

_"Nikushimi wa shireta mono sa__  
__Hitohira no ai ni katte yashinai__  
__Pride of place__  
__Nani wo sasurau kanashimi no senshi-tachi__  
__Pride of the world__  
__Iro nasu kibou yomigaere_

_Nani ga risei wo kuruwaseta__  
__Nani wo gisei ni ikite kita__  
__Kotae no nai meiro no naka demo__  
__Hito wa naze yume wo motomeru_

_Pride goes before a fall__  
__Mirai e no yuuki tamesou__  
__Pride goes before a fall__  
__Mirai e no omoi musubou_

_I'm the prince__  
__I'm the prince__  
__I'm a prince of the earth!"_

Both Shirota and Takigawa applauded as Kimeru finished the song. Shirota chuckled. "I sang that song while you two were in TeniMyu Side Fudomine..." he stated fondly.

"Side Fudomine, huh..." Kimeru said with a thoughtful expression. "That's a bit far back...well in any case, next we have Hiroki...who was originally planning to dance but I didn't allow him to. So instead...he's going to act out something he had found on the internet. Something that we call fan fiction so please don't take any of it seriously... Dozo, Aibacchin," he said.

Aiba nodded as he stood up and closed his eyes. Opening them a few moments later to reveal glistening tears he looked at Shirota sadly.

"What was so funny? Do you have any idea how worried I was? All this time I've been waiting for you to wake up, and what did I get? The first time I saw you awake, you told me you don't remember me? Could you imagine how I felt?" he paused, as he bit his bottom lip. "I…I thought I was going to lose you…" The last part was said quietly as a few tears fell he looked away for a while. "What's so funny? I was waiting for you, idiot… I love you…" he stopped as he looked down.

"And cut..." Kimeru said, waiting for Aiba to recover. After a few moments, Aiba looked up, smiling again. "That was an excerpt from a1y_puff's fanfiction, "Never more". It can be found on LiveJournal, and it's quite good actually," he said.

Shirota's eyes widened and pointed to Aiba. "Ahhhhh! I know that!" he declared. "But the idea of getting into an accident is scary..." he admitted. "I wouldn't forgive myself if I got amnesia and forgot all about Hiroki..." Shirota stated.

Aiba chuckled. "Yes, it'll be heart breaking…" he said. "But if ever it does happen -may the heavens forbid it- I'll do my best to make you remember me!" he promised.

Takigawa's smile faltered, not even wanting to think about such a thing as he glanced over to Kimeru. Shaking his head, he got to his feet and headed for the stairs.

"Eiji-nii?" Shirota called.

"I have something for you. Let me go and get it," he announced in reply, heading upstairs to their room.

Kimeru smiled when he realized what it was but kept quiet so that he wouldn't spoil the surprise.

"It looks like you have another surprise coming," Aiba said.

Takigawa returned moments later with a gift and handed it to Shirota. "Happy birthday," he greeted.

Shirota took the gift and tore off the wrapping to find a custom-made cookbook. He flipped it open to find that it was a scrapbook/cookbook that contained Takigawa's handwritten recipes of his personal favorite dishes, as well as some tips and little doodles. Shirota grinned. "Sankyu, Eiji-nii!" he said brightly.

Kimeru took a peek at the book. "Takigawa Eiji...you're a better artist than this..." he said as he pointed to a stick figure wearing a chef's hat.

Aiba looked at it and had a little flashback. "Don't insult the stick figures!" he suddenly exclaimed, causing the rest to look at him. "Er...please don't mind me..." he said.

Shirota looked over to Aiba before furrowing his eyebrows in thought. "Ah, which reminds me!" he said as realization struck. "Hiroki, you were fond of drawing stick figures back in school, na?"

"Fond? He had them in all his notebooks!" Kimeru accused. "And most of them were little soccer players, weren't they Hiro?" he teased.

"Not all of them..." Aiba defended.

Shirota blushed, scratching his cheek.

Takigawa grinned. "That explains what came out during Araki-kun's solo during Dream Live 3rd," he stated.

Aiba shrugged, causing Kimeru's grin to become wider. "You know what...when you two get better we should go to a carnival again," Kimeru said.

"I'd want to do that too," Aiba said in agreement.

Shirota turned to Kimeru and pointed a finger at Aiba. "B...But he laughed when I got drenched!" he accused.

"Wasn't that what finally caused Aiba to laugh back then? Even at the expense of you getting wet," Takigawa teased.

Kimeru nodded. "That was also the first time I heard him laugh," he said.

"Heard?" Aiba exclaimed.

Takigawa nodded. "Aa. We were there at the carnival as well. Don't you remember us meeting up near the dormitories afterwards?" he inquired.

"Yes but you never told us that you saw that scene!" Aiba defended.

"That's true...but it was still a funny sight," Kimeru put in.

"What happened to the plushie I won you...?" Shirota chimed in.

"It's at home; it's actually in a hidden part in my part of the closet," Aiba explained.

"Your hair iron closet?" Shirota prodded further.

"Fuji actors and their hair irons..." Takigawa muttered, smirking at the thought.

"Aa, somewhere there," Aiba said.

"Hey! Hair irons are friends!" Kimeru said with a grin as he and Aiba did a high five.

Shirota and Takigawa looked at one another, shrugging. "We can't win against that..." Takigawa stated simply, Shirota merely nodding in reply.

Aiba smiled before looking outside. "It's really snowing heavily outside..." he said.

Kimeru nodded. "Aa..." he answered. _'More reason to cuddle up tonight,'_ he added in his mind.

"I hope that the blizzard doesn't last long... I don't want to be stuck out here..." Shirota said with a frown.

"Don't keep wearing that frown! It's your birthday, so we'll think of something to do to pass the time!" Takigawa suggested.

Aiba nodded in agreement. "That's right! There's no way I'm letting you become unhappy today even if it's for just a minute...let's see...what else can we do..." he wondered.

Kimeru was also thinking about it, looking around to see if anything could help him think of something.

"STOP PLAYING WITH THAT!" Takigawa bellowed as Shirota was about to continue playing with Aiba's PSP. "Let's find something we can all do together, shall we? I'm sure Moriyama has something around here..." he said, getting to his feet.

Aiba jumped when he suddenly heard Takigawa's voice. _'He's scary...'_ he thought.

Kimeru, as if reading Aiba's mind, chuckled. "If you think he's scary now you should have seen him when we talked to the principal back then," he said.

Shirota looked over to Kimeru. "You and Takigawa-senpai were in the principal's office for getting involved in a fight, if I recall..."

"It's not exactly a fight since Eiji and I didn't fight back," Kimeru explained.

"That's true..." Aiba added.

Shirota pounded his fist on his open palm. "Ah, right. I remember now~!" he said. "Moriyama-senpai and I were outside the door," he said cheekily.

"Along with Nagayan and Sota..." Kimeru added with a frown.

Shirota nodded. "At least we saved you two from being suspended!" he stated defensively.

Kimeru laughed. "Of course, Shiropon. You and Moriyama did quite the entrance," he said.

Aiba frowned. "I wish I could have seen that..." he said.

"You were too busy going emo because of a homework that you forgot to pass during that time, I think," Kimeru said.

"Oh yeah…"

"You wouldn't have liked to see us, though," Takigawa stated, returning at that moment to set down a board game on the table. "Kime-kun and I had quite a number of bruises," he explained.

"Didn't I bring you to the clinic not long after we arrived?" Shirota inquired.

"Yes we did, it just was just that the principal was informed and as soon as we came from the incident we were sent to his office...I really hate that man," Kimeru muttered.

Takigawa chuckled. "I believe Shirota was referring to when he and the others arrived with the evidence. I practically fainted since I couldn't really keep myself standing much longer," he explained.

"Oh...that was my fault wasn't it?" Kimeru said as he looked at Takigawa.

"Why was it your fault, Kime-nii?" Aiba asked.

Takigawa subconsciously rubbed his cheek. "The principal at the time said some unnecessary things... It got Kimeru angry and wanted to hit him badly. But...I got in the way and took the full blow to the face..." Takigawa explained.

"Now that must have hurt..." Aiba said, wincing at the thought of it.

Kimeru sighed. "You should have seen how swollen it was after..." he said sadly.

"Eiji-nii had to put a big bandage over it. And just after he had recovered from Watanabe-senpai's punch," Shirota stated.

"Eiji-nii must have felt like a human punching bag..." Aiba commented.

Takigawa frowned. "It's not an enjoyable feeling to have your cheek swelling so badly, you know..." he muttered.

Kimeru nodded. "Especially when it just healed, I'm guessing," he said as he placed his hand over Takigawa's. "Regardless, we both made it out of that situation. And all thanks to a certain someone who didn't even know was risking his neck," Kimeru said.

Shirota turned to Aiba. "Yeah, that's true..." he agreed.

Takigawa smirked before introducing them to the board game he had found. They played 'Scattergories' for the rest of the afternoon before Takigawa went to make dinner.

Kimeru and the other two continued the game. Kimeru followed Takigawa moments later to assist bringing the food to the living room.

They had dinner in silence, all of them contemplating on everything they had discussed that day; it was a day of reminiscing, after all. After dinner, Takigawa assisted Shirota back upstairs to their bedroom, Aiba and Kimeru following after clearing the dishes. All four of them had settled to sleep in the midst of the blizzard outside, hoping that the weather would be more agreeable in the morning.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

We look forward to your reviews and possible suggestions. :)


	12. A Flashback of Ceremonies

**Title:** Anything for You

**Author/Artist:** snooperj & Bloodysamurai

**Series/Pairing(s):** TeniMyu; Mainly Takigawa Eiji x Kimeru & Shirota Yuu x Aiba Hiroki

**Notes:** Here is the 12th chapter entitled **A Flashback of Ceremonies**. This chapter mainly focuses on the proposal and ceremony flashbacks of the two pairs, discussed among the four on the day of December 27, 2006, which they had spent being stuck in the rest house due to the blizzard. The chapter runs from that day to the next, December 28, 2006, when they return to Tokyo.

**ALSO! None of the authors of this roleplay/fanfic own TeniMyu or the actors, but are mere fangirls of the musical series and corresponding actors we write about. Everything that progresses in the story is the creation of our witty imaginations.

* * *

+++December 27, 2006+++

Kimeru was the first one to wake up this time. The first thing he did was look out the window; he groaned. "It's worse than yesterday..." he muttered to himself.

Takigawa stirred, sitting up before he spotted Kimeru. "Morning..." he muttered, rubbing his eyes before his gaze was fixed to the window as well. "It seems the weather refuses to let us leave so quickly," he noted.

"At this rate we'll be stuck here..." Kimeru said as he snuggled up to Takigawa.

"Don't have that kind of attitude," Takigawa scolded, wrapping his arms around him. "We'll just have to wait it out, that's all..." he said.

"What other choice do we have?" Kimeru said quietly as he took a glance at the clock on the wall. "5 in the morning...still early..." he muttered before closing his eyes.

"Go back to sleep..." Takigawa soothed, lying Kimeru back down.

Kimeru simply nodded before moving closer to Takigawa, falling asleep soon after.

Takigawa watched Kimeru fall asleep once more before shrugging, returning his attention to the weather outside. _'It'll take a while, I guess... I do hope things will clear up by tomorrow, at least...'_ he told himself before settling back to sleep a few more hours.

-break-

After a few more hours of sleep, Kimeru woke up again. He looked at the clock and decided that it was time to make some breakfast. He moved a bit to get out of Takigawa's hold before standing up and stretching. Kimeru quietly went out of the room and headed downstairs. "Let's see...what to make this morning..." he muttered as he entered the kitchen and looked at the food available.

-break-

Shirota's eyes opened to welcome the sight of the white ceiling overhead. He pushed himself up and looked around, yawning as he spotted the time. With Aiba still asleep beside him, Shirota took some time searching for the plushies on the bed. He pulled out the plushie of himself and examined it. _'I'm surprised they could detail it this accurately...'_ he thought to himself in surprise.

Aiba slowly opened his eyes and saw Shirota looking at his plushie counterpart. "Ohayou..." he greeted sleepily.

Shirota turned to Aiba and smiled. "Ohayou," he greeted back, handing his plushie over to him.

Aiba smiled as he took the plushie and cuddled it; he then said the first thing that came to mind. "I wonder what's for breakfast," he muttered.

"Either Eiji-nii or Kime-nii would probably be making it about now," Shirota admitted, laying back down after taking up the Aiba plushie.

-break-

Kimeru was already busy in the kitchen making breakfast. His mind wandered for a moment. _'I wonder how Minami-kun and Sakurada-kun are handling our pets...'_

-break-

Meanwhile in another side of Japan...

"Momo! Echizen! Where are you?" Minami called out as he bent down to look under the couches.

"What's wrong, Keisuke?" Sakurada asked as he entered the living room, Kunisuke on his shoulder.

"Momo and Echizen are missing and if I don't find them I'm going to get killed!" Minami explained as he stood up to look behind the television.

Sakurada shrugged. "Have you tried looking in the kitchen?" he asked.

Minami looked at him. "Why would they be in the kitchen?"

"They _are_ named after Momoshiro and Echizen aren't they...?" Sakurada said.

Minami nodded before heading off to the kitchen. "You're right! They're here!" he exclaimed.

"Thought so," Sakurada said with a smirk.

Pearl walked up to Sakurada and barked, pawing at his leg. "Hello there," Sakurada said as he placed Kunisuke in the cage and picked up Pearl. "Let me guess...he hasn't fed you yet, has he?" he asked as he went to the cabinet and pulled out some dog food.

-break-

Takigawa woke up for the second time that morning, finding Kimeru missing. "He beat me to it, then..." he said in amusement as he forced himself up and got ready for the day.

-break-

Kimeru smiled when he finished what he was cooking: a simple set of sunny side up eggs, some fried rice and hotdogs. He placed two plates on a tray and took them upstairs. He placed them on a table to open the door of Shirota and Aiba's room. He saw that they were awake and he took the tray inside. "Good morning, you two," he greeted.

"Ohayou, Kime-nii...what's that?" he asked.

Takigawa emerged from their room and headed down the hall before he spotted the door to Shirota and Aiba's room open and proceeded inside. He smirked at the sight. "Someone's sneaked down to cook breakfast," he teased.

"Ohayou, Eiji-nii," Shirota greeted, sitting back up and pushed himself to lean back on the headboard.

"This is breakfast," Kimeru answered as he set up a small bed table and placed the plates there before going to Takigawa to kiss him on the cheek. "I didn't have the heart to wake you up," he said.

Shirota eyed the breakfast laid out and grinned. "Arigatou, Kime-nii!" he said cheerfully. "Itadakimasu!"

Takigawa chuckled. "Was I sleeping that peacefully?" he teased before returning the gesture with a kiss of his own.

"Aa. I snapped a picture as well!" Kimeru said as he showed the current wallpaper of his phone.

Aiba chuckled as he watched his two senpais. He turned his attention to his food and started eating.

Takigawa blinked before smirking. "That's just like you..." he muttered before turning to the two. "Looks like we'll have to wait for this blizzard to subside..." he announced.

"So we can't even go out?" Aiba said with a pout.

Kimeru chuckled as he went to the boy and ruffled his already messed up hair. "We'll find something to do while we wait," he said.

Shirota finished his breakfast and leaned back, closing his eyes.

"You alright, Shirotan?" Takigawa inquired as he moved to take the boy's empty plate.

"I was just having a dream earlier... About the ceremony I had with Hiroki," Shirota replied fondly.

Aiba smiled at the thought. "Aa...I remember that day as well..."

Kimeru grinned. "You two had a more extravagant ceremony than we did…" he said, "Not to mention that ours had a lot of bloopers."

"I still have to thank you for that, Kime-nii," Shirota stated cheekily, grinning at the J-Pop singer.

"What for?" Takigawa inquired, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

Aiba looked at Shirota. "Huh?" he asked.

Kimeru chuckled. "Well Aibacchin, for you to find out what we're talking about I believe that I have to start from the very beginning of the entire story, right Shirotan?" he said.

Shirota nodded eagerly. "Aa!"

"Then let's see..." Kimeru said. "I think I should begin with the day that Eiji proposed...fill in the parts that I don't know, Eiji."

**_Kimeru had just finished feeding both Pearl and Q. He sighed as he looked at the time. It was already 7 in the evening and Takigawa wasn't home yet from wherever he went._**

-break-

**_Takigawa had spent most of the afternoon looking around jewelry stores in search of the perfect rings. He had wanted them to be special, and the ones that he had seen didn't satisfy his taste and, if it ever did, considered if it would fit Kimeru's own taste. He drove off as far as Kanagawa and Chiba, visiting a variety of stores before a particular set from a store in Kanagawa piqued his interest. After purchasing the rings, Takigawa drove back home. He was pulling into their street at 7 in the evening and pulled the car into the driveway minutes later before taking a deep breath and headed to the house. "I'm home!" he announced as Pearl came running to his feet._**

**_Kimeru heard Takigawa's voice as soon as he emerged from the kitchen. "Eiji, welcome home~" he said happily as he went out to greet him."What took you so long in coming home? I was worried that something already happened to you," he said._**

**_Takigawa closed the door behind him. "I was looking for something... I didn't realize it would take me so long to find the perfect one, though..." he admitted as he took off his shoes, put on his slippers and headed into the living room with Pearl following behind him._**

**_"What were you looking for, if you don't mind me asking..?" Kimeru asked as he led Takigawa to the couch to sit down for a while. _**_'Okay Kimeru...this is it...calm down…'_**_ he thought to himself._**

**_Takigawa eased himself into the couch and rummaged in his jacket pocket and pulled out a small box. "Kimeru... It's been quite a long time since you and I have been together... So... I believe now would be the best time..." he began before opening the box, revealing a pair of rings._**

**_Kimeru's eyes widened when he saw the rings. "E-Eiji..." he said as he sent a worried glance over to Takigawa. "Oh no... This could be a problem," he said."You see..." he started as he stood up to get something from his bag and went back to the couch. "...we apparently had the same idea today..." he said as he showed Takigawa a small red box; he opened it to show the other another pair of silver rings._**

**_Takigawa blinked at the second pair of rings before he broke off laughing, setting his box down on the coffee table before leaning forward to take Kimeru into a chaste kiss. "The two of us are clearly opposite in nature, but I'm surprised there are these rare moments when we think alike," he said fondly._**

**_Kimeru smiled as he reached over and placed the rings he bought beside the ones Takigawa had gotten. "Aa..." he answered as he brought his arms around Takigawa. "I love you..." he said softly, gazing at Takigawa._**

**_Takigawa smiled, cupping Kimeru's face with his hands. "As do I," he replied, kissing Kimeru a second time before pulling back. "Which was why I wanted to propose today. But as we both already have these rings..." he paused as he turned to the table. "We_**** do _have a little problem on our hands, don't we?"_**

**_Kimeru thought for a moment. "Hmm...I have an idea. Leave it to me!" he said with a smile. _**

"And then during that ceremony itself, I decided to give it to Shirotan... Remember the time that you thought that I had gone missing?" Kimeru asked Takigawa.

**_Kimeru managed to escape Nagayan and Sota as he ran down one of the halls of the place; he panted slightly as he reached the area where the guests were. "Shirotan! Pssst! Shirotan!" he called out to the boy._**

"You had me worried..." Takigawa muttered in reply.

**_Takigawa looked around. _**_'Now where's Kimeru? We're starting soon...'_

-break-

**_Shirota looked around, hearing his name being called before he spotted Kimeru. He furrowed his brow and moved up to him. "What are you doing, Kimeru-senpai?" he inquired._**

**_Kimeru grinned. "Come here! I need to give you something!" he said with a soon as Shirota went outside, Kimeru placed a small red box in his hands. "Use it when the time is right Shirota," he said before looking around. "Now if you'll excuse me...I think my fiancé is looking for me." Kimeru took one last glance around before running off again._**

**__****_Shirota watched Kimeru leave before he returned his gaze to the box. Furrowing his brow, he opened it and twitched. "U-so..." he muttered to himself as he snapped the box closed and slipped it into his inner breast pocket before returning inside, a small smile on his face._**

-break-

**__****_"They found Kimeru!" Tuti told Takigawa as he approached him. "Now get in there and wait for him! Good luck!" he said as he opened the door to the hall where everyone was waiting._**

**__****_Takigawa sighed with relief before nodding. "Arigatou, Tuti," he thanked before heading into the grand hall where the ceremony proper would be taking place._**

-break-

**__****_"Where the heck did you go?" Nagayan asked as he saw Kimeru approach._**

**__****_"Gomen! I had to take care of something important!" Kimeru replied with an apologetic smile._**

**__****_Nagayan sighed. "Either way...here… Count to ten after I go in then follow," he said. "Ready, buddy?"_**

**__****_Kimeru nodded. "Hai," he answered. Nagayan smiled at him before going inside. Kimeru counted to ten before following suit and the first thing he saw was Takigawa waiting for him at the end of the aisle._**

**__****_Takigawa turned his attention to the door from where Kimeru emerged as a genuine smile settled on his face as he watched Kimeru approach. Gathered there in the venue were both friends and family - both of their parents, the rest of the Seigaku first cast, Shirota and Aiba, as well as Ueshima-sensei._**

**__****_Kimeru felt himself smile as well as he walked towards Takigawa. He saw his family smiling at him as he passed. It was quite a surprise to him that Takigawa had managed to get a hold of his family; something that even he couldn't do for the past few years._**

**__****_Takigawa's parents were in attendance, their attention on Kimeru as he walked down the long aisle towards their son. Eiji had told them about this development with Kimeru via e-mail. Upon receiving this, Takigawa Sumire, Eiji's mother, immediately decided to fly back to Japan with her husband Kaito in order to celebrate this momentous occasion with their son. _**

___'It's finally here, isn't it, Kimeru? The time we've waited for...'_**__****Takigawa thought happily to himself.**

**__****_Kimeru nodded at Takigawa as soon as he reached his side. He took hold of his hand and smiled._**

___'After everything we've been through...here we are today...'_**__****_ Kimeru thought as he looked at the crowd behind him one more time before the ceremony began._**

**__****_Kimeru's mother Shizuka and his father Ryou watched as Kimeru went towards his future partner. Shizuka felt tears well up in her eyes as Kimeru took Takigawa's hand. She was glad that Takigawa had managed to contact them so that they could come._**

**__****_Ryou on the other hand, watched quietly as the ceremony took place. It was a shock for him to find out that his only son was getting married. Nonetheless, he felt happy for him._**

"So that's where your rings ended up..." Takigawa said in realization, looking over to Shirota.

Kimeru nodded. "It was a good idea at the moment, and besides...they were put into good use," he said, looking pointedly at Shirota and Aiba.

Takigawa nodded, sitting himself down on the bed. "At least my efforts of finding these rings weren't put to waste," he said fondly, holding up his hand where the ring was.

"Aa," Kimeru agreed before looking at Shirota and Aiba. "Hmm...I believe we never found out how that proposal went, right Eiji?"

Aiba blinked. "You...don't know how it went?" he asked.

Kimeru shook his head. "Nope."

Shirota scratched his cheek. "It was difficult... But I managed to pull it off..." he admitted.

**__****_"Hiroki, I have a surprise for you," Shirota began, strolling into the bedroom. "But you'll have to wear this so we don't spoil it," he added, pulling out a blindfold._**

**__****_Aiba looked up from his laptop when he heard Shirota speak up. "A blindfold?" he asked as he stared at the piece of stood up and took it. "Alright Yuu...but you better keep me from tripping," he said before he put on the blindfold._**

**__****_Shirota chuckled. "Of course. That would diminish the whole point of asking you to wear that," he teased before waving a hand in front of Aiba. "Can you see me waving my hand?" he asked to check if the blindfold was efficient enough._**

**__****_"Er...no," Aiba said as he used his hand to feel around. "I don't see anything..." he added._**

**__****_Shirota nodded to himself. "Good." He went behind Aiba and placed both his hands on the boy's shoulders. "Start walking slowly. I'll tell you if need to turn or head down the stairs," Shirota instructed._**

**__****_"Alright..." Aiba said as he started walking slowly, following each instructions of Shirota carefully._**

-break-

**__****_Shirota had led Aiba down the stairs and was about to have him approach the garden where he had opened the doors. He had asked a few people to come today for this special moment - both of their families. Shirota had to admit that it was quite awkward at first but thought it would be better this way than for them to wait until the ceremony to know. Shirota didn't have too much trouble gathering his own family together; after all, they still had their connections despite living apart all this time. He was surprised when even his father willingly agreed to come. Aiba's family, however, proved to have given him some problems. Although Aiba's mother and sister had no problems with this, Shirota had to put some extra effort into convincing Aiba Daisuke to come, up to the point of getting to his knees and begging the man._**

**__****_Daisuke didn't really want any part of this. Ever since his son was in Senior High, he had never really accepted the fact that he wasn't into normal was the shock of his life when Shirota Yuu...the same person that Aiba liked in Senior High -though Aiba doesn't seem to recall this-, came to their house to ask for his son's hand in sighed heavily. He was going to say no, but when he saw the sincerity in the boy's eyes, he just couldn't do it. So in the end he gave in. And now here he was; about to witness the moment that his son will be taken away from him forever._**

**__****_"Here we are..." Shirota stated over to Aiba, having him stop in his tracks before he bowed to both his family and Aiba's before he pulled out the familiar red box before he got on one knee. "You can take the blindfold off, Hiroki," he said._**

**__****_Jun was grinning at the sight when Shirota and Aiba had appeared. He fondly recalled the times he had spent with the two - most importantly when they were in Senior High - when he was over at this very same house taking care of his younger brother. He had always known that it would end up like this. Although Jun didn't understand why there was no contact between the two when they had graduated from college until they had started working together in TeniMyu, he was glad that both Yuu and Aiba had found each other again._**

**__****_Aiba nodded as he took off the blindfold. What he first saw was his family, all smiling at him. Next was the entire Shirota family, looking at him and smiling as well._**

**__****_"Yuu? What's going-" He was cut off when he looked at Shirota who was kneeling in front of him, holding a small box that held one ring eyes widened as his hands flew to cover his mouth. "Yuu..."_**

**__****_A smile came to Shirota's face as he nodded to Aiba. "I figured this was the best way to propose, Hiroki..." he began. "I wanted both of our families to be present and complete... So that they would understand... That for me, you are the only one I would offer this chance to... So would you accept my hand in marriage?"_**

**__****_Aiba stared at Shirota before looking around once more. He felt tears of joy welling up in his eyes. "Yuu..." he said softly as he pulled Shirota to his feet. "Of course... my answer is yes," he said._**

**__****_Aiba Mikoto smiled and Hinako squealed in delight when she heard this. Daisuke sighed again; that was it for him. He shook his head before looking at Aiba and Shirota again. Then he felt his eyes widen when he saw Aiba's expression. He had never seen his son this...happy._**

**__****_All of Shirota's siblings cheered at Aiba's response. Pepi and Mitsuo smiled at one another, happy that their youngest son had finally found his special someone._**

**__****_Shirota grinned before wrapping his arms around Aiba. "I'm glad..." he muttered, kissing Aiba on the forehead._**

"Did your father ever tell you what I did to convince him to come?" Shirota inquired, looking over to Aiba.

Aiba shook his head. "He didn't," he answered.

Shirota grinned. "Good."

Aiba frowned. "Why? What did you do?" he asked.

"I'd rather not talk about it..." Shirota stated, rubbing the back of his neck.

"But you already brought it up..." Takigawa whined playfully.

Kimeru nodded. "You already brought it up so you might as well tell us," he said.

"That's right!" Aiba said.

Shirota sighed. "Well, alright..."

**__****_Shirota had stepped in front of the Aiba residence as he took a deep breath and exhaled before heading up to the front porch and rang the doorbell. It was a few days before he planned to propose to Aiba and had wanted both of their immediate families to be in attendance for that._**

**__****_Hinako was the one who opened the door. "Shirota-kun!" she greeted as she let him inside their home. "What brings you here?" she asked._**

**__****_"Aa... Well, Hinako-san... I was planning a little surprise for Hiroki next week... And I was wondering if you and your parents can come and attend..." Shirota explained, scratching his cheek._**

**__****_"Next week? I think we can come since we don't have anything lined up," Hinako said. "But let's confirm. Wait here, I'll call mom and dad," she said before leaving to get her parents._**

**__****_Daisuke came moments later. "Hinako and Mikoto will be down in a while," he informed Shirota as he sat on the sofa across the boy._**

**__****_Shirota nodded, looking down at his hands as he clutched his knees. He was always uneasy around Aiba's father, he couldn't really understand why. So he decided to wait quietly for the other two to arrive._**

**__****_Soon after Daisuke came in, Mikoto and Hinako joined them. "So what is this all about, Shirota-kun?" Mikoto asked pleasantly._**

**__****_Shirota looked over to Aiba's mother before nodding. "Aa... As I told Hinako-san earlier, I was planning a surprise for Hiroki, and I would deeply appreciate it if you would be in attendance..."_**

**__****_"What's the surprise?" Hinako asked curiously._**

**__****_Daisuke looked at the boy in apprehension, he didn't know why but he felt that something was amiss with the situation._**

**__****_Shirota took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before continuing. "I plan to propose to Hiroki..." he stated, looking over to the three._**

**__****_"I knew it would come sooner or later!" Hinako cheered._**

**__****_"We would love to come then, Shirota-kun," Mikoto told him with a smile._**

**__****_The two were silenced, however, when Daisuke spoke up. "I'm not going to go," he said firmly._**

**__****_Shirota turned to Aiba Daisuke. _**___'As expected...'___**__****_he thought to himself. "May I inquire why not?"_**

**__****_"For reasons that are my own," Daisuke said before he moved to stand up._**

**__****_"Anata!" Mikoto exclaimed._**

**__****_"Father, please be reasonable!" Hinako pleaded._**

**__****_Shirota stood and confronted the man before he slowly got to his knees, bowing. "I beg you to reconsider..." he stated quietly. "Having you there would give Hiroki the reassurance that his _****entire_ family is willing to support him... us..."_**

**__****_Daisuke looked at Shirota in surprise as he bowed in front of him. He sighed heavily. _**_____'It's hard when you're dealing with sincerity,'___**__****he thought."Stand up," he told him. "Fine. I shall go to this... arrangement," he answered before leaving.**

**__****_Hinako sighed in relief. "For a minute there I thought he wouldn't give in," she said. "Well…congratulations, Shirota-kun!"_**

**__****_Shirota stood and watched Aiba Daisuke leave the room before bowing once more. "Arigatou gozaimasu!" he called before he straightened and turned to Hinako, smiling._**

"So there you have it..." Shirota stated, heaving a sigh.

"I never really imagine you'd do that, Shirotan..." Takigawa admitted.

Aiba shook his head. "I can't believe you did that in front of my father," he said with a soft smile.

Kimeru chuckled. "It is quite hard not to give in when somebody does that."

"And I do think that father was surprised when Yuu did it," Aiba said with a chuckle. "After all...seldom do you find people who would do that to him."

"Why is that?" Kimeru asked.

"Oh, because people find him naturally intimidating and they think that they can never change his mind," Aiba explained.

Shirota frowned. "But he_ is_ naturally intimidating..." he complained.

"Father's like that to most people but he's a real softy," Aiba said.

"Why am I finding that hard to believe based on what Shirotan has shared?" Kimeru thought out loud.

"Unless you're referring to_ after _he came to your birthday last October..." Shirota stated off-handedly.

Aiba shook his head. "I was referring to before I left for the dorms back in Senior High," he answered.

Shirota's eyes widened before pointing an accusing finger at his partner. "Then you were the reason he became like that!" he cried.

Aiba shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not..." he said. "After all, there can be quite a few more reasons that we do not know of that caused him to be like that."

"If he was different before you moved out back then... and he was that way ever since... He started changing since the proposal... and during the ceremony, too..." Shirota thought out loud, stroking his chin.

"Aiba's family was the one who ended up planning that for you, right?" Takigawa inquired.

"My mother planned most of it; my sister got in touch with Yuu's family for the details," Aiba explained.

"How she managed to convince my father into coming is a miracle..." Shirota admitted.

"My sister is a natural miracle worker, Yuu," Aiba said. 'Just like someone here...' he added in his mind, causing him to laugh.

Shirota raised an eyebrow at this. "What are you laughing about?" he asked, pouting.

Aiba managed to calm himself down. "I was just thinking...that Eiji-nii here is also a miracle worker...Imagine...he managed to convert Kime-nii to who he is now."

Takigawa looked over to Kimeru and smirked. "I admit that it was difficult... Even if it meant resigning myself to get a few punches here and there..."

"Kimeru-senpai was violent with you?" Aiba asked slyly as he glanced at Kimeru who blushed.

"Verbally, quite a few times," Takigawa explained. "Physically... It was only once, and by accident. That incident we talked about with the principal yesterday."

"Well...I can't help it if our personalities clashed back then," Kimeru defended.

Takigawa chuckled. "They still do," he reminded him.

"But not as much as they did back in Senior High," Kimeru shot back.

Aiba looked at them before facing Shirota. "How about you? I'm sure you also had a hard time with me back then," he said.

Shirota chuckled. "Aa, I did. But more than that, I had to handle my siblings' constant torments about our relationship..." he recalled, shuddering.

"You mean like that time that your brother tied you to a chair using some jump rope?" Aiba asked.

Kimeru blinked and looked at them. "Tied him with what?"

"Jump rope," Shirota repeated with a groan. "He uses it a lot... Twice or thrice when Hiroki started coming to the house..." he explained.

Aiba sighed heavily. "That's right," Aiba said. "...I still wonder why your brother has a stock of those things."

Shirota shrugged. "Beats me..."

Kimeru grinned. "Which reminds me...Aibacchin, you also had a little misadventure during your ceremony, right?" he said.

Aiba blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Don't tell me you forgot why you refused to come out of the room where you were supposed to be preparing in," Kimeru said.

"Oh...that one..."

Shirota turned to the two Fuji actors. "What are you talking about?" he inquired, looking from Aiba to Kimeru and back.

"Remember when almost everybody panicked when Aibacchin refused to come out of that hotel room?" Kimeru started.

**__****_"Oi! Aibacchin! Open the door!" Kimeru said as he knocked on the door; Konii, Kenken and a few others from the Seigaku second cast behind him._**

**__****_"Yada!" Aiba said through the locked door._**

**__****_"This is going to take some time...Kenken, please tell the other group that they have to buy some time," Kimeru said before Kenken sped off towards the stairs towards Shirota's group in the floor above them._**

-break-

**__****_"I seriously don't want to wear my hair like this..." Shirota whined as Kazuki and Araki were fussing with the boy's hair._**

**__****_"Well, we certainly wouldn't want you to be having you do your usual Tezuka hairstyle, do we?" Kazuki teased._**

**__****_Kenken arrived at the room, panting slightly. He made a beeline for Kazuki and whispered the situation to him. _**

-break-

**__****__****_"At least let one of us in!" Kimeru tried._**

**__****__****_"YADA!" Aiba answered._**

**__****__****_Kimeru frowned. "Will someone get me the key to this room from downstairs?" he asked the people around him._**

**__****__****_"Wait!" Aiba suddenly said. "Only Kimeru-senpai can come in!" he said._**

-break-

**__****__****_Kazuki nodded over to Kenken before he finished fixing up Shirota's hair in satisfaction. "There. Satisfied?" he inquired._**

**__****__****_Shirota frowned. "THIS WAS HOW IT WAS BEFORE YOU GUYS MESSED IT UP!" he declared, turning to the group._**

**__****__****_Kenken was about to leave when he heard Shirota shout. He chuckled before heading outside._**

-break-

**__****__****__****_"Now what seems to be the problem?" Kimeru asked as he went inside. "And why aren't you dressed yet?"_**

**__****__****__****_Aiba looked at him. "Senpai..." he started._**

**__****__****__****_"What?"_**

**__****__****__****_"I can't find my hair iron!"_**

**__****__****__****_"THAT'S IT?"_**

-break-

**__****__****__****_Araki and others burst out laughing. "Gomen, Shirotan. But we couldn't help it," he said in between laughs._**

**__****__****__****_Shirota groaned before he proceeded to stand. "Never mind... I'll just-"_**

**__****__****__****_"Do you want to have a snack first?" Takigawa offered, holding out some rice cookies._**

**__****__****__****_Shirota blinked, looking over to Takigawa and grinned. "Maybe just a bit..." he said, moving towards the older man._**

**__****__****__****_"And that's why you're acting like you don't want to get this day over with?" Kimeru asked._**

**__****__****__****_Aiba blinked. "I...I can't go out there looking like this!" he exclaimed._**

**__****__****__****_Kimeru sighed. "Sit down, Aibacchin...I'll take care of this," he instructed._**

"Honestly... As if bribing you with rice cookies did anything..." Takigawa stated, sighing.

Aiba chuckled. "I'm surprised that I caused that much of a fuss," he said.

Kimeru grinned. "You had KenKen running up and down a flight of stairs."

Aiba smirked. "But I have to admit, Kime-nii. You sure do know how to remedy those kinds of problems."

Kimeru smiled. "Of course I do."

**__****__****__****_"There we go..." Kimeru said as he placed the hair spray down. "What do you think?"_**

**__****__****__****_Aiba looked at himself in the mirror. "Kimeru-senpai... Have you considered being a hair-designer?" he asked._**

**__****__****__****_Kimeru chuckled. "Nope. I like my job description very much, thank you… Now let's get you dressed!" he said before moving to the door to tell Kenken that they were almost ready, resulting in another marathon for the younger boy._**

-break-

**__****__****__****_After Shirota had eaten his fill of rice cookies, he was about to head to the door when Kenken arrived._**

**__****__****__****_"Have you been running around, Kenken?" Shirota inquired._**

**__****__****__****_Kazuki approached the Shishido actor. "What's the news?" he inquired._**

**__****__****__****_Kenken grinned. "Aiba's almost ready...so get the crumbs off him," he said before pointing at Shirota."And a word of advice...Kimeru-senpai was the one who helped Aiba get ready...Kimeru-senpai ALONE," he said with a nod at Shirota before leaving._**

**__****__****__****__****_Takigawa moved forward and proceeded brushing off the crumbs that came to settle on Shirota's tuxedo - which reminded the man of Shirota's Tuxedo Kamen days. "That should do it..." Takigawa stated, looking for any stray crumb._**

**__****__****__****__****_"Arigatou, Takigawa-senpai," Shirota said, nodding curtly to him._**

-break-

**__****__****__****__****_"Yosh...now we're done," Kimeru said as he looked at Aiba who was looking himself at the mirror._**

**__****__****__****__****_"I look like I'm going to have a concert."_**

**__****__****__****__****_"Which means you are currently looking your best. Now let's go and see if we manage to get Shirotan to have a nosebleed!" Kimeru said happily._**

**__****__****__****__****_"Senpai!"_**

-break-

**__****__****__****__****_Takuya knocked on Shirota's door. "Shirota-kun...it's time to start!" he said before peeking inside. "Good luck!" he said before leaving._**

**__****__****__****__****__****_Shirota nodded to Takuya. Takigawa patted the boy on the shoulder, nodding over to him. "You can do it," he reassured him._**

-break-

**__****__****__****__****__****__****_"I'll give you the signal when it's your turn," Takumi said with a smile as he left Aiba's room._**

**__****__****__****__****__****__****_Aiba took a deep breath as Kimeru chuckled. "Relax...you're going to be fine."_**

-break-

**__****__****__****__****__****__****_Shirota nodded his thanks before taking his leave from the room; Takigawa following behind him._**

**__****__****__****__****__****__****_"Good luck Shirota-kun!" Takuya said as he opened the door to the function room where everybody was waiting._**

-break-

**__****__****__****__****__****__****_"Deep breaths, Aiba..." Kimeru coaxed as the younger Fuji actor closed his eyes and tried to calm down._**

-break-

**__****__****__****__****__****__****_Shirota was momentarily blinded by the lights as he took a step inside. In attendance to this were both of their families, the rest of the Seigaku second cast, the Hyoutei cast and Ueshima-sensei, plus a few other friends and family._**

**__****__****__****__****__****__****__****_Takigawa stayed outside by the door as he watched his successor slowly make his way up the aisle as he folded his arms, smiling fondly to himself._**

**__****__****__****__****__****__****__****_"At least he's not a bundle of nerves like this one here," Kimeru said suddenly as he pointed to Aiba who was behind him."Don't worry, Aiba didn't see him," Kimeru reassured him._**

**__****__****__****__****__****__****__****_"Kimeru-senpai...Takigawa-senpai. Your turn," Takuya told the two._**

**__****__****__****__****__****__****__****_Takigawa nodded over to Takuya before he lowered his arms and held out his hand to Kimeru. "Shall we?"_**

**__****__****__****__****__****__****__****_Kimeru smiled. "Let's..." he answered as he walked inside with Takigawa, spotting Shirota waiting at the end of the aisle; he nodded at him._**

**__****__****__****__****__****__****__****_Takuya peeked inside. "Okay, Aibacchin... when I go inside, relax yourself a bit then follow," he said before patting his friend on the shoulder. "Don't worry, you look great. Kimeru-senpai did a good job."_**

**__****__****__****__****__****__****__****_Aiba nodded at him before Takuya entered the room, leaving Aiba alone in the hall. _**_______________'Calm down Hiroki...it's just your friends and family in there...you want this, don't you..?'_______________**__****__****__****__****__****__****__****_he thought in an attempt to calm himself down._**

-break-

**__****__****__****__****__****__****__****_Shirota turned his attention to the doors as Takuya entered; Aiba was entering next. Shirota took a deep breath to keep himself calm. This was the moment he had been waiting for._**_____________________________'Show me I didn't make the wrong decision, Hiroki... Walk through those doors... And show me again... Why it can only be you...'_

-break-

**__****__****__****__****__****__****__****_Aiba took a deep breath before walking to the doors. "Let's go," he told himself before opening the saw Shirota and felt himself smile. _**_____________________________'That looks similar to his Tuxedo Kamen outfit...'_______________**__****__****__****__****__****__****__****_he thought. He felt his nervousness disappear when he walked towards Shirota, all the anxiety simply faded away at that moment._**

**__****__****__****__****__****__****__****_Kimeru grinned. _**_______________'It looks like he finally got over it.'_

**__****__****__****__****__****__****____********_Takigawa smirked as he turned to Aiba, feeling the immediate change in the boy._**_________________'Looks like it was a good decision to wear the outfit, Shirotan,'_________________**__****__****__****__****__****__****____********he thought to himself.**

**__****__****__****__****__****__****____********_Aiba noticed the presence of his family in the room as they smiled at him; his father even nodded at him. The rest of the TeniMyu cast plus Ueshima-sensei was there as well; he was thankful that his family and Shirota's had managed to get in touch with the other despite their busy soon as he reached Shirota's side he smiled at him."I love you,"he mouthed. _**

"Exactly what were you wearing again?" Shirota inquired, poking Aiba on the cheek.

"I'm hurt, Yuu...you don't remember?" Aiba said in mock hurt.

Kimeru chuckled. "Let me jog your memory, Shirotan~" he said. "White tux and slacks, blue necktie..." he said as he took out his phone and showed him a picture. "I knew there was a reason why I kept this picture in my phone…" he said. The phone was a stolen shot of when Aiba was looking at himself in the mirror back in the room. "Be thankful that I didn't put that in my blog," he teased.

Shirota took the phone and examined it before grinning, leaning forward and pecking Aiba on the cheek. "Gomen, but I didn't really pay attention to your outfit so much back then," he explained.

Aiba sighed. "I guess that it's fine..." he said as he looked at Kimeru. "How did you get that?" he asked.

"You were too busy worrying if you looked okay," Kimeru said with a shrug as he showed the picture to Takigawa as well.

"This is a bit similar to what you ended up wearing when you sang_** 'Crystal' **_in your Myu days with the second cast..." Takigawa noted.

Aiba nodded. "Only difference is this one is actually my size," he said. "The one I used back then was a size bigger since there was damage with my original one."

Takigawa chuckled. "Still, it was a good thing Shirotan decided to wear that specific tux for your wedding. Don't you agree, Kime-kun?" he inquired.

Kimeru nodded. "Aa...we saw how the tension disappeared from Aibacchin once he saw Shirotan," he said in agreement.

Shirota frowned. "I didn't know that wearing a modified outfit of my costume for Tuxedo Kamen would work out that way..." he admitted.

Kimeru patted him gently on the shoulder. "At least it helped, ne?" he said. "If you didn't wear it, I suspect that Aibacchin would still be nervous when he reached you."

Shirota nodded. "I guess so..."

Takigawa checked the time before he rose to his feet. "Look where the time went... I need to get lunch started," he stated, taking the trays and headed for the door.

"I'll help this time!" Aiba said as he got to his feet.

Kimeru frowned. "I think I can do that Aiba-"

"Just this once?" Aiba pleaded.

"I don't mind," Takigawa and Shirota said at the same time.

Kimeru sighed. "Alright...but don't strain that arm of yours!"

"Hai~" Aiba said happily.

"I'll look after him," Takigawa reassured the J-Pop singer before heading out of the room and down to the kitchen with Aiba following behind him.

Shirota watched the pair leave before taking up the Aiba plushie and cuddled it in silence.

Kimeru picked up the Shirota plushie and looked at it. "They did a nice job on both, don't you think?" he asked with a grin.

Shirota nodded. "Aa..." he replied. "A-no... Kime-nii..."

"What is it, Shiropon?" Kimeru asked with a smile.

-break-

"What are we making for lunch, Eiji-nii?" Aiba asked.

Takigawa set the tray on the sink before smiling over to Aiba. "Why don't you think up of something, Aibacchin? I'll help you out in any way I can," he suggested.

"Hmm...I've been meaning to try a pasta dish for a while..." Aiba said trying to recall it. "I think it was called pesto…"

Takigawa nodded. "Ah, that. I've made that once before. Let's get started with it, shall we?" he said brightly as he moved to the pantry to retrieve the necessary ingredients.

Aiba smiled. "Then let's get started~" he said happily as he went to the cabinet to retrieve some olive oil and some basil leaves.

-break-

"Actually, there was something I didn't mention earlier... That time when I went to Aiba's family..." Shirota stated.

"What is it?" Kimeru asked.

**__****__****__****__****__****__****____********_Shirota thanked Aiba's mother and sister for understanding before he checked the time. "Ah, gomen. I need to be heading off. I'm sorry for taking too much of your time," he apologized._**

**__****__****__****__****__****__****____********_"We hope to see you soon then, Shirota-kun!" Mikoto said with a smile. "Go and see him off, anata," she said._**

**__****__****__****__****__****__****____********_Daisuke twitched. "A-Aa..." he said before standing up to accompany Shirota to the gate._**

**__****__****__****__****__****__****____********_Shirota bowed once more to Aiba's mother and sister before he headed outside to the gate with Aiba's father. He rounded to face him. "This is my address. Please be there right after lunch," he instructed, holding out a slip of paper to the older man. "And another thing I would like to say, Aiba-san... Your son... He's everything to me, and I'd do anything for him. I promise you that I'll protect him... No matter what." He bowed for the whole of 10 seconds before straightening up._**

**__****__****__****__****__****__****____********_Daisuke took the slip and sighed when he heard Shirota say this. "If that wasn't the case then I wouldn't have approved of this, Shirota-kun...now be on your way or Hiroki might worry," he said._**

**__****__****__****__****__****__****____********_"Hai!" Shirota bowed one last time before leaving._**

Shirota ran a hand through his hair. "I don't even want to think about what would've happened if I didn't say that or give him reassurance by saying what I did..." he said, sighing.

Kimeru chuckled as he ruffled his hair. "What matters is that you said it didn't you? And now look at how far you and Aibacchin have gone," he said.

Shirota nodded apprehensively. "A...Aa," he replied. "Talking about the ceremony reminded me of something, though..."

"What?" Kimeru asked.

"Well... If I wasn't injured like this... I would've preferred to do my _**'Prince of the Earth'**_ performance... When we celebrated Christmas Eve..." Shirota explained.

Kimeru smiled softly. "I'm sure Aiba would have liked to see that, but he'd be gladder to see that with full knowledge that you won't be pushing yourself because of it," he said. "That's another incentive on your part to heal quickly, isn't it?"

Shirota nodded eagerly. "I want this leg to heal quickly... So that I could move around on my own again..." he said, reaching out to his cast. "I really don't enjoy sitting around doing nothing..."

Kimeru nodded in understanding. "Wanna bet that once Aibacchin gets out of that cast of his the first thing he's going to do is dance like there's no tomorrow?" he said suddenly.

"I'm afraid that's already a given, Kime-nii," Shirota replied, chuckling.

Kimeru nodded. "That's true...and you should also worry about him jumping you when that time comes," he said slyly.

"I'd best be sitting down when that happens..." Shirota admitted. "My leg would still need to recuperate properly..."

Kimeru chuckled. "That's true, we wouldn't want you to strain that," he said with a smile.

"Just a few more months..." Shirota muttered to himself.

Kimeru chuckled. "Don't worry then, I'm sure Aibacchin looks forward to getting out of that thing as much as you are," he said.

"Speaking of which..." Shirota paused, looking down at his Aiba plushie. "I wonder how they're doing downstairs..." he wondered.

Kimeru grinned. "You do realize that with all that attention you're giving that plushie, there's a chance that Aibacchin might be jealous of it?"

Shirota smiled fondly at it. "No. Both Aiba and I have agreed long before that we value each other more than material things... Like Aiba's panda plushie back then..."

-break-

"There we go!" Takigawa exclaimed after transferring the pasta onto a serving bowl. "Any finishing touches you'd like to add, Aibacchin?" he offered.

Aiba looked at the dish for a moment before shaking his head. "Nope. I think that's everything to it," he said with a smile.

Takigawa nodded. "Let's bring this up to the other two, shall we?" he said, transferring everything to a tray and brought it back to the bedroom.

-break-

"That plushie that he brought everywhere at any chance he got, you mean?" Kimeru said with a grin. Shirota nodded before turning to the door.

Aiba opened the door for Takigawa when they reached the bedroom. "Lunch is here…" he announced.

Takigawa set the dish down on the table. "And just so you know, this was Aibacchin's idea," he stated, winking over to the boy before he spread the plates out for easier distribution of the pesto as he put down an equal amount on each before taking two and handed it to Shirota and Kimeru, returning to the table and took the other two, handing the other to Aiba.

Aiba grinned as he took the plate that Takigawa handed him.

"I never knew you were into pasta, Aibacchin," Kimeru teased.

Aiba chuckled. "It wouldn't have turned out this way if Eiji-nii didn't correct some parts of the recipe," he admitted.

"I would rather not dwell too much on those anymore," Takigawa pointed out before he stabbed at a forkful of pasta and brought it to his mouth.

Shirota nodded in satisfaction, his plate already halfway empty. "This is really good!" he complimented.

Aiba chuckled as he ate his own share of the food.

Kimeru looked out the window. "Looks like we have to spend another night here to wait this out," he said with a sigh.

+++December 28, 2006+++

The group waited the blizzard out until the next day; by which time they had already had their bags packed and were ready to return to Tokyo. Boarding Kimeru's private plane once again on the morning of the 28th, the quartet all took a short nap during the 90-minute flight before they had safely landed in Tokyo.

They were assisted with their baggage before they were driven off to Shirota and Aiba's house. Kimeru had taken the liberty of informing Minami and Sakurada that they were arriving that day and would meet them at the house so as to get their pets back.

The car stopped in front of the house as Takigawa helped Shirota out of the car and up the pavement to their front door.

"It's good to be home," Shirota said fondly, pulling out his keys and with Takigawa's assistance, opened the door before the two Tezuka actors entered.

Before Aiba could get inside he felt a familiar fluffy object against his leg; he looked down. "Fuji!" he exclaimed as he picked the brown guinea pig up from the ground. "That means..." he looked around and saw Sakurada holding the cage, Minami behind him with Q and Pearl.

"Welcome back, senpai," Sakurada greeted.

Kimeru smiled as he took Q's cage from Minami. "You didn't have any trouble with them, I hope?" he asked.

Minami shook his head. "No problem at all, senpai," he answered.

"Why don't you two come inside for a while?" Aiba offered before showing the two inside.

-break-

Takigawa had just eased Shirota down into the couch before he turned to the door, seeing two guinea pigs charging inside side by side and stopped at the feet of Takigawa, who recognized them to be Momo and Echizen. "The two of you better not give Shirotan any problems," he warned them before moving aside to help with the baggage still in the car.

Momo and Echizen scurried up to the arm rest to look at Shirota. Aiba chuckled when he came in, Fuji perched on his shoulder. Kimeru came in with Q after a while and went back out to get the rest of the bags.

Sakurada sat on the other couch. "Kunisuke, come here," Aiba said, referring to the guinea pig on Sakurada's shoulder. Aiba blinked when Kunisuke just stared at him. "A-re? Kunisuke..." he tried again.

Sakurada looked at the furry creature on his shoulder. "Oi, Aiba-senpai is calling you…"

Tezuka had come up onto the other arm rest where Shirota was as the boy looked at the three incredulously before hesitatingly stroking each of them before looking over to Kunisuke. "Seems he's grown attached to Sakurada-kun," Shirota pointed out.

Aiba looked at Sakurada then at Kunisuke before smiling. He patted Kunisuke before ruffling Sakurada's hair. "Take care of him then," he said.

"THAT THING IS STAYING WITH US?" Minami exclaimed as he pointed at Kunisuke.

Sakurada grinned. "Looks like it."

-break-

Takigawa brought in the bags with Pearl running after him as he went out for a second trip to get the last of the bags, the Yorkshire following after him.

-break-

Tezuka moved up to Shirota's shoulder and gently nuzzled his neck while the other two watched - in possible envy - their father while being calmly stroked by Shirota's hand. "It's not as if these two will be missing their brother," Shirota pointed out, referring to the two younger guinea pigs.

Aiba chuckled. "I'm sure Kunisuke would love being with Sakurada-kun," he said as he patted the guinea pig again. "I'm sure you can take care of him," he told the Echizen actor.

"Count on me, Aiba-senpai," he said. Minami in the meantime was having a staring contest with Kunisuke.

-break-

Kimeru came back in with the last of the bags; he then noticed Tezuka by Shirota's neck. "It would seem that Tezuka knows how to get what he wants without bothering you," he observed.

Shirota looked over to Tezuka, who stopped nuzzling as they met eye-to-eye for a moment. "You're right..." Shirota admitted; breaking eye contact with the guinea pig as Tezuka proceeded to continue his gentle nuzzling against the boy's neck.

-break-

Takigawa came inside, thanked the driver and closed the door after Pearl, who came into the house, barking excitedly as Takigawa picked her up, stroking her on the head. "You've missed us, haven't you?" he coaxed. "I have a new costume for you," he said as he looked around for his bag.

-break-

"Someone's jealous…" Aiba said as he looked at the two other guinea pigs that were staring at their father.

Kimeru chuckled while Sakurada watched and waited for the outcome of Minami and Kunisuke's staring contest.

-break-

"A-ha!" Takigawa found his bag and opened it, pulling out the assortment of gifts before finding the dog costume and set Pearl down. "This is a good fit, isn't it?" he said enthusiastically, holding the Seigaku outfit to Pearl, who barked in reply.

Shirota turned and looked over to Takigawa and laughed. "It'd be fun to see her wear it, Eiji-nii," Shirota suggested.

"Which reminds me; we also have some of those for the guinea pigs!" Aiba said as he took out the kit from his bag. "Here we go…" he said.

Kimeru grinned. "So we're going to have little Seigaku regulars running around," he said happily. "Oh yes, before I forget...I've already told Eiji about this; I'm taking the year off from making projects. Formal press release about it is a week after new year," he announced.

Aiba smiled. "Really? That's great Kime-nii."

Shirota nodded in agreement as he held his hand out. "Give me the ones for Tezuka, Momo and Echizen," he stated.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

We look forward to your reviews and possible suggestions. :)


	13. Please Remember

**Title:** Anything for You

**Author/Artist:** snooperj & Bloodysamurai

**Series/Pairing(s):** TeniMyu; Mainly Takigawa Eiji x Kimeru & Shirota Yuu x Aiba Hiroki

**Notes:** Here is the 13th chapter entitled **Please Remember**. This chapter focuses on the pair of Takigawa and Kimeru, as they are struck with a situation where Kimeru gets amnesia. We see Takigawa's attempts at helping Kimeru regain his memories of the relationship they shared up until that point. This chapter runs from January 8, 2007 to January 13, 2007.

**ALSO! None of the authors of this roleplay/fanfic own TeniMyu or the actors, but are mere fangirls of the musical series and corresponding actors we write about. Everything that progresses in the story is the creation of our witty imaginations.

* * *

+++January 8, 2007+++

The next few days had the quartet celebrate the last days of the year and New Year's together, where simple celebrations were held. Before they knew it, the day of Kimeru's press release day had arrived.

Takigawa was left to look after Shirota and Aiba, who were in the living room playing with the guinea pigs, now dressed in their little accessories for easier distinguishing.

Aiba laughed as Momo raced up his arm to nuzzle his neck. "You better be thankful that I'm not that ticklish there..." he said as Echizen ran around. "Ne...What time did Kimeru-senpai said that he'll be back?" Aiba asked the two Tezuka actors in the room as he looked at the clock.

Takigawa was stroking Q while feeding him before glancing over to the clock. "About 8, last I heard from him..." he replied.

Tezuka managed to balance himself on Shirota's cast and was already sleeping while Fuji was on Shirota's lap as the boy patted her gently.

Aiba frowned. "Eiji-nii...that clock is 10 minutes late...It's already 8 in the evening…" he said. "Maybe he was caught in traffic..." he said as he patted Momoshiro who was not running around with Echizen.

Takigawa nodded. "Maybe..." He paused when his phone started vibrating in his pocket as he pulled it out and looked at the display. "A-re? What's Nagayan calling me for?" he inquired out loud as he pressed a button and brought the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

-break-

"Takigawa! You need to get to the Hospital along 5th avenue right now! Kimeru has gotten into an accident on the way home!" Nagayan said on the other line. "I already told Tuti to go to Shirota and Aiba's place to look after them. I'll meet you there and hurry!" he said before ending the call.

-break-

"Eiji...nii?" Aiba asked in concern as he saw Takigawa's face turn pale as soon as he answered the call.

Takigawa lowered his phone and got to his feet, moving Q back into his cage before rushing to the door.

"Chotto! Where are you going?" Shirota called.

"Kimeru... He got into an accident," Takigawa said as he pulled his jacket on and slipped into his shoes. "I need to go to the hospital... Tuti is on his way. He'll look after you two while I'm gone," he said as he opened the door, grabbed his car keys and got into the driver's seat of his car before starting it and drove off to the hospital as fast as the speed limit would allow him. _'Please be alright, Kimeru...'_ Takigawa thought to himself, gripping on the steering wheel as he blinked back the tears.

-break-

Nagayan arrived at the hospital first; the doctors had told him what happened along with Kimeru's manager. He waited inside Kimeru's room, looking at his friend as he lay unconscious; there were a few bruises on his arms and a cut on his cheek. All he had to do now was to wait for Takigawa to arrive.

-break-

A few minutes after Takigawa left Tuti had arrived at Shirota and Aiba's place.

"What happened to Kime-nii?" Aiba demanded.

Tuti took a deep breath before closing the door behind him.

-break-

Takigawa parked his car nearby before running the rest of the way to the hospital. Upon arriving, he slowed his pace and asked where Kimeru was from the receptionist. He headed up to the room and saw Nagayan already there. "How is-" he began, but was cut off when he turned to Kimeru, who was unconscious on the bed.

"Here…sit down..." Nagayan said as he stood up and led Takigawa to the chair beside Kimeru's bed. "Breathe Takigawa...don't pass out on me," he said.

-break-

"Why didn't Kime-nii's manager call Eiji-nii up first?" Shirota cried out after Tuti had told them what happened.

Tuti frowned. "That's what I want to know...apparently his sense of self-preservation kicked in. Only Kami-sama knows what Takigawa could have done to him if he heard about it first."

-break-

After Nagayan was assured that Takigawa had reasonably calmed down he started telling Takigawa what happened.

"His manager was behind the wheel," he started. "They were taking a shortcut somewhere when the car slid on some ice. The breaks didn't work as they started spinning uncontrollably on the street," he paused for a moment before continuing. "The car came to a stop when they hit a lamppost. The problem is...the part that hit the post was the passenger side, where Kimeru was."

He looked at Kimeru once again before taking a deep breath. "The doctor said that he didn't break any bones but..." he trailed off as he motioned to the bandages on Kimeru's head. "...they say we won't know the extent of the damage until he wakes up...which could take a while."

Takigawa nodded silently, tears sliding down his cheeks as he took Kimeru's hand with both his own, leaning his forehead against it. "Darn it... Kimeru..." he muttered quietly, gritting his teeth. After a while, Takigawa wiped his tears away. "I can stay here and look after him..."

Nagayan shook his head and placed a hand on Takigawa's shoulder. "We're both staying the night...I don't want to leave either of you for the time being…" he said. "I'll just leave in the morning to get some clothes for you."

Not wanting to argue, Takigawa nodded as he watched Nagayan leave for a moment to get another chair as he turned back to Kimeru. _'Be alright, Kimeru... I don't anything bad to happen when you wake up...'_ he thought to himself, gently stroking Kimeru's hand with his thumb.

-break-

Shirota shook his head. "Kime-nii better be alright when he wakes up, then..." Shirota muttered. "I don't even want to imagine what Eiji-nii will do if-"

"Don't think like that, Shirota-kun!" Tuti warned.

Shirota closed his mouth and nodded. "A...Aa..."

+++January 9, 2007+++

The next day, Nagayan woke up early. Takigawa had fallen asleep on the chair the previous night, his head on the bed as he held Kimeru's hand with his own. He sighed as he sat up from the couch. _'I better get him something to change into...this might take a while...'_ he thought before standing up to quietly exit the room.

-break-

Tuti was already downstairs, making breakfast for the three of them. He frowned as he recalled the events of the night before. _'I wonder how they're doing...'_ he thought.

"Senpai?"

Tuti turned around and saw Aiba enter the kitchen, Tuti managed to force a smile. "Aibacchin, you're up early. Breakfast will be done in a while, is Shirota-kun up?" he asked,

Aiba shook his head. "He's still asleep, senpai," he said.

-break-

Kimeru groaned; he hurt all over. He opened his eyes only to see white walls. "Wh-Where..." he muttered.

Takigawa stirred as he sat up, rubbing his neck before he felt Kimeru squeeze his hand, effectively waking him up. "Kimeru!" he exclaimed before looking around. Finding that Nagayan was gone, he momentarily left the room and looked both ways and spotted the man. "Nagayan!" he hissed, effectively getting the boy's attention. He waved him to come back into the room.

Nagayan rushed back into the room. "Kime!" he exclaimed as he approached his friend.

"N-Nagayan?" Kimeru managed to say, "Where am I?" he asked weakly.

"You're in the hospital. You've been in an accident," Nagayan informed him. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Like a truck ran over me..." Kimeru said as his gaze fell on Takigawa, he frowned. "Nagayan…who's that?" he asked.

Takigawa stood at the foot of the bed, staring at Kimeru, hoping he did not mean what he had just said. Lightly shaking his head, Takigawa managed to ask, "Are you sure you don't know who I am?"

Kimeru looked at him again. "Should I even know you?" he asked haughtily.

Nagayan looked at Kimeru then at Takigawa. "K-Kime...he's Takigawa…"

"Takigawa from section one? What the hell is he doing here? Since when did you start hanging out with people like him?" Kimeru asked, glaring at Takigawa.

_'Section one? What the-'_ Nagayan thought in surprise.

Takigawa felt his eye twitch before rubbing the back of his neck, nodding silently to Nagayan. _'His memories were brought back to when we were in Senior High... This is just absurd...'_ he thought to himself.

-break-

Shirota sneezed himself awake as he sat up from his bed, looking around. "A-re? Morning already?" He glanced at the clock before shrugging. "I wonder how Kime-nii, Eijii-nii and Nagayan-senpai are doing..?"

Aiba and Tuti went inside the bedroom. "Good morning, Yuu~" Aiba greeted.

Tuti simply nodded at him.

Shirota turned to the door. "Ohayou..." he said weakly.

-break-

"Um...ano...he's actually here because...because..." Nagayan said, at a loss of what to say. He looked at Takigawa as if to say i_'Help me, damn it!'/i_

"I was assigned to look after you," Takigawa said, completing Nagayan's sentence as he looked over to Kimeru. _'If that's the case... then... I have to find ways to help your mind return to the present...'_ he told himself firmly.

Kimeru frowned. "Look after me? I don't like this one bit...can't they send someone else?" he asked.

Nagayan sighed. "He was the only one left, Kime. No one else wanted to deal with you," he said, hoping that Kimeru would believe him.

Kimeru glared at Takigawa once more. "Fine..." he answered.

+++January 11, 2007+++

Takigawa stayed with Kimeru for the next few days, enduring the constant complaints and such that came from him, which reminded Takigawa so much of their first few days during the Student Partner Program back then. After two days, Kimeru was released from the hospital as Takigawa led the way out and to his car. He stopped and turned to Kimeru, holding the keys out to him. "We're going back to my house. I assume you know how to drive and get there from here?" he inquired.

"Of course I do, what do you take me for?" Kimeru snapped as he took the keys from Takigawa before getting in the driver's seat.

_**"Alright Kime...start the car..." he heard a voice say.**_

_**"I know how to start the car..." he muttered in reply.**_

_**"Now go forward slowly..." the voice said again as Kimeru stepped on the gas. "KIMERU I SAID FORWARD!"**_

He shook his head as the memory came up. _'But who...who was the one teaching me?'_ he thought with a frown as he started the car and drove back to Takigawa's place without having Takigawa tell him the directions without the other man say anything.

Takigawa chuckled as he got into the passenger's seat and clipped the seatbelt on. To his surprise, Kimeru had managed to drive back to their place without being told. _'Still the same driving style, though...'_ Takigawa commented to himself as he got out of the car and headed up to the door and unlocked it. He smiled when he heard an all too familiar barking from the other side.

Takigawa had instructed Tuti the other day to bring his and Kimeru's things - including Q and Pearl - to his house. Upon turning the key, he pushed the door open and managed to grab Pearl and scoop her up. "Hello there. Sorry I took so long," he said, scratching her behind the ear as he turned to Kimeru. "Come in, come in."

"You have a dog?" Kimeru asked as he went inside and looked around. He stepped inside the living room and felt a wave of nostalgia hit him. He walked over to the pictures on a table and looked at them. "...Why...why do I have pictures in your house?" he asked.

Takigawa looked over to Kimeru and set Pearl down. "That's because..." he paused and turned to see Q out of his cage. "Q!" he bellowed, running over to the rabbit, picking him up. "They forgot to put you back in your cage..." he said, shaking his head in disapproval.

"Q...?" Kimeru said as he looked at the rabbit in Takigawa's arms. He stared at him for a few minutes before taking him from Takigawa.

_**"I just remembered about Q..."**_

_**"Want me to bring him up for you?" Kimeru asked with a chuckle. "I'm sure he misses you too."**_

_**"Arigatou. That would be nice."**_

_**Kimeru nodded as he stood. "I'll go get him," he said as he went downstairs, coming back a moment later with a brown and fluffy rabbit in his arms.**_

Takigawa looked over to Kimeru and smiled quietly as he moved into the kitchen. "I'll get dinner started then," he announced off-handedly. "I haven't had _salad_ in a while, so I guess we can have that tonight..." he said before disappearing into the kitchen.

"S-Salad?" Kimeru muttered as he sat on the couch nearby.

_**Kimeru woke up to the sound of muttering just beside him.**_

_**"...salad...hadn't had some in a while...can't go downstairs...stupid foot..."**_

_**Kimeru smiled; he knew exactly what to prepare the next day.**_

Kimeru felt his head hurt slightly at the rush of memories. _'But...I was with someone...why can't I remember who I was with?'_ he thought.

-break-

After a while, Takigawa re-emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray with two bowls of salad and handed one to Kimeru. "Hai," he said, sitting down on the armchair and took his own bowl. "It's just a light meal for now since you just got out..." he explained.

"A-Arigatou..." he said slowly before he started eating. _'This is stupid...why can't I remember?'_ he thought angrily.

-break-

After they were through, Takigawa stood and brought everything to the kitchen before returning and leading Kimeru upstairs. "C'mon, I want to show something," he said, leading the boy to the second floor landing. He reached the specific room he was looking for and opened the door, exposing the gym room. "Feel free to use the equipment here, alright?"

"Now this is weird...why would a guy like you have a gym-" Kimeru was cut off as another memory presented itself.

_**He was looking inside the room as he came from downstairs. What he saw made him freeze in place. Someone was on the treadmill; sweat was already forming on his body due to the work out and...he didn't even have a shirt on. Funny thing was, Kimeru couldn't see his face...**_

_**Kimeru felt his face heat up and swore that he felt a nosebleed coming on. He grabbed some tissues from the box on the table that was just conveniently beside him and used in as a makeshift handkerchief for the anticipated nosebleed. He leaned on the wall as he started to get dizzy again.**_

_'I knew I shouldn't have looked...'__**he scolded himself.**_

"...room..." he finished, trailing off. _'What was that about?'_ he thought as he felt his cheeks heat up.

Takigawa looked over to Kimeru and frowned. "Are you alright? Your face is red," Takigawa pointed out before closing the door once more. "Well anyway, we'll be staying in my room," he said, leading them to his old bedroom as he opened the door to it and smiled to himself that the futon was neatly folded up on the floor. From all those years, Takigawa thought it best to leave it out because of Kimeru's frequent visits before his parents gave him the house so that he and Kimeru could move to the Master bedroom where they were presently sleeping in.

_'In this room, at least... There would be more chance of getting Kimeru to remember...'_ Takigawa thought to himself as he went forward to spread the futon out.

Kimeru went silent as he watched Takigawa spread out the futon, "T-Takigawa..." he started, "you...we..." he frowned as the memory came back to him. "You're my boyfriend...right?" he asked hesitantly.

Takigawa stopped short as he slowly turned to Kimeru. _'Well... at least there's some progress...'_ he told himself. "A bit more than that..." he muttered in reply. Takigawa continued to spread out the futon before rising to his feet. "But you're on the right track," he added with a small smile.

Kimeru frowned. "A bit more than that?" he repeated hesitantly. "Takigawa...what happened to me? I keep... remembering things, places and events in this house but...I can't remember who I was with…" Kimeru said as he sat on a chair nearby. "Something happened to me, didn't it? I want to know what."

Takigawa took a deep breath and sighed, lowering himself down onto the futon and sat down there. "Aa... Something happened to you a few days ago..." Takigawa began, looking over to Kimeru. "You got into a car accident. You hit your head pretty hard, but it seems you're suffering from some awkward type of amnesia..." he explained.

"Am...Amnesia?" Kimeru asked before looking around. He frowned as he saw a calendar and walked up to it. "2007?" he exclaimed he backtracked a bit and sat down beside Takigawa. "I lost a good 9 years of memories?" he asked incredulously. "This can't be happening..." He took a deep breath to calm himself down. "Tell me...what happened to me after Senior High?"

"A lot of things... Unfortunately, I don't know every step of the way since we somehow drifted apart after we both graduated from college..." Takigawa admitted with a sigh. "But let's not talk about this right now. Your head must be hurting with all these memories wandering about..." he said, gesturing to his bed. "You can sleep on the bed tonight. I'm fine here," he offered.

"S-Sure..." Kimeru said as he looked at the bed.

-break-

After getting changed and settling down Kimeru fell instantly asleep. The amnesia caused Kimeru to lose some memories and regress to who he was when they were in Senior High. This regression included his attitude, mannerisms and unfortunately...some of his habits too: like always moving to the left when he was asleep.

This little habit caused Kimeru to fall off the bed -though he didn't wake up- and comfortably snuggle next to Takigawa who was on the floor. The same thing happened once before, during his first sleepover back in Senior High...

+++January 12, 2007+++

Waking up the next morning, Takigawa stirred, feeling his back stiff before realizing what had happened before moving to get up before he paused, instinctively looking beside him to see Kimeru. He smiled, leaning over and kissed the boy on the forehead. "Please regain your memories soon, Kime-kun..." he said softly before gingerly taking the boy up and resettling him on the bed, arranging the blanket over him before he headed downstairs to prepare breakfast.

-break-

Kimeru woke up a few moments later, he yawned before looking around. The place was familiar, but something didn't exactly sit right with him. He stood up and decided to look around the place once more. He reached a certain bedroom, which he knew was the Master bedroom. He looked at the door for a while, deciding whether he should go in or not. His instincts were telling him to do so but his mind was against it, so he just decided to leave it alone and head downstairs. "Takigawa?" he called out as he went to the kitchen.

Takigawa was just about finished making some French toast as he turned to the doorway and smiled. "Ah, ohayou," he greeted.

"Ohayou..." Kimeru greeted sleepily.

"Hey...I was wondering about something...when…when we were in Senior High...I had a roommate back then...Aika or something..." he paused, thinking if it was the right name. "But whatever…" he said. "What's for breakfast?" he asked.

Takigawa chuckled as he set the serving plate on the counter. "You mean Aiba, Kimeru," he corrected. "And we're having French toast for breakfast," he replied.

"Aiba…Aika...same thing," he said with a shug as he looked at the toast before snatching one to eat it. "Hey not bad...have you ever considered being a chef...wait...I think I already asked that before..." he paused. "...what DO you do right now Takigawa?" he asked.

"Acting and modeling," Takigawa replied off-handedly as he took his own slice and took a bite off it.

Kimeru's eyes widened. "Acting and modeling? Seriously?" he asked as he looked at Takigawa. "Who would have thought that you'd end up doing those things?" he said with a chuckle.

Takigawa chuckled. "Well, I take after my mother in that aspect, I suppose..." he admitted. "Though I'm not too busy most of the time... You should be thankful you have a year off from making projects, by the way," he reminded Kimeru as he finished his toast.

Kimeru blinked. "A year off from making projects?" he asked. "Huh? Why is that and more importantly...what kind of projects?" He frowned. "What did I end up doing?"

Takigawa grinned. "I'll be right back." He excused himself and went up to the Master bedroom and took his collection of Kimeru's albums and brought them downstairs and into the kitchen, setting them down on the counter. "These were your projects," he explained.

Kimeru's eyes widened as he looked at the CDs. "I…I became a J-Pop singer?" he asked in disbelief. "I can't believe it..." He felt a smile form on his lips. "You Got Game?" Kimeru said as he flipped one over. "This was the one I've been working on since I joined the band..."

"All these CDs... Are all the albums you've released since you first started out... up until the present," Takigawa explained.

"And you collected them all?" he asked as he looked at Takigawa.

Takigawa nodded with a soft smile forming on his lips.

Kimeru acted upon instinct; he stood up, threw his arms around Takigawa and kissed him. He pulled back immediately. "I...er...sorry...don't know what came over me..." he said as he stepped back, blushing a bit.

"It's alright..." Takigawa said, pleased that Kimeru was showing some signs - subconscious as they were - of acknowledging their relationship. "Look over your CDs if you like, I'll just be in the other room for a while..." he announced, heading into the living room and pulled out his phone, deciding to text Kimeru's old band mates from Senior High to come over; this included Nagayan, Sota, Furukawa, Daisuke, Konishi, Koji and KENN.

-break-

Kimeru looked at the CDs and he came across one song that made him feel a bit uneasy. "Pleasure of Love?" he thought out loud. "That title alone sounds wrong..." he said as he looked at the lyrics.

-break-

It didn't take them long to gather and arrive at the Takigawa-Kimeru residence as the doorbell rang. Slipping his phone into his pocket, Takigawa went to answer it and smiled, nodding over to Nagayan. "I'll leave you all in charge of Kimeru. I'll step out for a bit. Connect some dots for me, Nagayan," he instructed before slipping his shoes on, grabbed his jacket and moved past the group as he headed out onto the street.

Nagayan nodded before stepping aside to let Takigawa through.

"Kime~" he called out as the rest of the former Mitsukaru band club appeared beside the J-Pop artist.

"Nagayan! And the others!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Sota grinned. "We decided to pay you a visit!" he said.

-break-

Takigawa slipped his hands into his pockets as he headed down the sidewalk. _'It would be better if Kimeru was around his old group of friends... It'll help him open a few more doors that he needs to... So he can finally remember everything...'_ he thought to himself.

Kimeru grinned as he chatted with his old group. Nagayan had told him all about senior high and Kimeru pretty much had an idea of what had happened back then.

"Wait...where's Takigawa?" he asked. "He's sure taking a long time going to wherever he's going."

Nagayan checked his watch and frowned. "You're right..." he said.

-break-

Takigawa thought to go to the bookstore and browse through some cookbooks before checking the time. _'Did I spend_ this _long out? Better head back...'_ he told himself, putting the book back and exiting the store and looked around. "This way, then..." he said, heading down a certain direction to get back to his place.

-break-

Kimeru frowned. "Maybe we should contact him..." he said.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be here in a while," Nagayan assured him.

"You better be right, Nagayan..." Kimeru said.

-break-

Takigawa turned a corner and slowly came to a stop when he spotted a group of people blocking his way.

"Oi oi, isn't this that Takigawa guy back in Senior High, Kubota?" Kawada Jouji inquired, smirking.

"The guy who came and tried to save Kimeru, right?" Naito Taiki added, grinning.

Kubota Yuki stepped forward. "Aa, this is him."

Takigawa sighed inwardly. _'Of all the times...'_ "Looks like the lot of you stuck together," he called out.

Fukuyama Seiji grinned. "Of course we did."

"Well, either way, I have to get going," Takigawa said nonchalantly, turning and walking off in the other direction.

Kubota's eye twitched. "Ko-ra! Don't you ignore us! We still have a score to settle!" he bellowed.

"I don't have time for this... Kimeru's-"

Akiyama Shintarou pointed to Takigawa. "What? Are you with him or something?" he teased, interjecting him.

"And what if I am?" Takigawa inquired darkly, turning around to face them, glaring over to Akiyama.

Seto Yusuke smirked. "Then it's a perfect chance to get back at Kimeru and his group. You'd make quite the bait, wouldn't you?"

Hosagai Kei nodded. "So you should come with us quietly if you know what's good for you."

"And if I decline?" Takigawa inquired.

Murai Ryouta looked over to Kubota. "We'll just have to take you away by force," he said.

"I might have to remind you that we're not in school anymore..." Takigawa began as Kubota, Hosagai and Kawada advanced on him first. A little fist fight began, Takigawa throwing a few punches to them, successfully managing to send the three to the ground.

"Darn it... When did..." Murai cursed.

"I told you... We're not in school anymore," Takigawa repeated, smirking.

"GET HIM!" Kubota ordered, still on the ground as the rest of the group came at him. It didn't take long before Takigawa was caught off-guard and attacked from behind, receiving a number of punches and kicks before he collapsed unconscious to the ground.

Akiyama was panting as the group circled the man. "I can't believe it took all eight of us to knock him out..." he admitted.

Seto spit out a small amount of blood. "He's got a good punch, too..."

Kubota pulled Takigawa's phone out from his pocket. "Now that the bait's been restrained properly, time to reel in the prey..." he said as he typed up a quick message before sending it to Kimeru. "Quick, let's get him to the meeting place," he ordered.

-break-

"Where _is_ he?" Kimeru said as he stood up. "Can somebody call him?" he asked the group who immediately pulled out their phones. Kimeru frowned as he went to the dining table where he had left his phone. He saw that a message just came in. He checked the sender and saw that it was from Takigawa. "About time," he muttered as he read the message.

_'Long time no see Kime-kun. We have Takigawa and if you want to see him in one piece you better come to this address alone. - Kubota'_ was what the message said, followed by an address of some warehouses nearby. He felt a growl escape him.

"Kime?" Nagayan asked in concern.

"Stay here and whatever happens don't follow me!" Kimeru said as he opened the door and ran off.

Nagayan looked at the others. "He did realize that he forgot his phone..." he told them.

"If he's not back in ten minutes we're reading his last message," Daisuke said with a frown.

"Agreed," Konishi said.

-break-

Kimeru managed to grab the keys to the car on his way out. He drove fast, beating all the red lights he came across; he was lucky though that there were no policemen nearby. He parked the car near one of the warehouses, and got off. "Kubota!" he called out in anger as he entered the warehouse. "KUBOTA! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?" he shouted as he looked around.

By the looks of it, the place had been abandoned for quite some time. The boxes nearby were covered in a thick blanket of dust and the smell of something that has been sitting there for some years. He walked further inside until he saw something that made his blood run cold. "Takigawa!" he exclaimed as he ran towards Takigawa who was tied to a chair, apparently unconscious, a few bruises on his arms and one on his cheek. "Takigawa, wake up...come on...Takigawa!"

"He won't be waking up for a while," said Kubota as he slowly approached. "I'm surprised, though... that someone like _him_ can throw a good punch..." he admitted.

The others appeared from behind the boxes and approached the spacious area where Takigawa and Kimeru were.

"So the bait worked," Fukuyama stated, smirking.

Kimeru frowned as he glared at each of them as they made an appearance, "You didn't have to pull Takigawa into this..." he growled. "This is just between you and me you bastard!" he shouted.

Kubota barked out in laughter. "Both of you were involved in that unsettled fight, so it's only best that we don't leave anybody out," he explained.

Naitou smirked. "Believe us, if he didn't interfere back then, he wouldn't be here at all," he stated.

Kawada approached Takigawa and took a fistful of hair and pulled the unconscious man's head up. "You actually ended up with this guy?" he asked teasingly.

Murai sniggered. "Count on Kimeru to pair himself up with someone like him. He was an A-student back then, wasn't he?" he stated.

Kimeru glared as he gritted his teeth. "Don't...DON'T TOUCH HIM!" he shouted as he advanced on Kawada and punched him hard across the face, causing him to release Takigawa and stagger back.

"Someone's getting defensive..." Seto pointed out, letting out a low whistle.

Takigawa let out a wince as he painfully opened his eyes. "I-te..." he hissed when he felt his hands tied tightly behind him.

"He woke up," Akiyama stated.

"Takigawa!" Kimeru exclaimed as he hurriedly removed the binds. Seto tried to stop him but Kimeru managed to turn at the last second to kick him on the stomach, sending him back as well. "Next time you decide to go wondering outside I'll keep an eye on you," Kimeru told Takigawa as he undid the last of the rope.

Takigawa chuckled softly as he proceeded to rub his wrists. "That's my line..." he said quietly.

Kubota frowned. "Beat the hell out of those two right now!" he ordered.

Takigawa got to his feet uneasily. "This... this is why I hate being involved in fist fights..." he muttered as the group advanced.

Kimeru grinned. "It's not as if it's the first time you got into one with these guys, Takigawa," he said as he took out two of the guys advancing on them. He glanced at Takigawa. "Takigawa! On the left!" he called out.

Takigawa dodged and caught Murai's arm, kneeing him in the gut. "This is turning out a little differently than it did back in school," Takigawa said fondly. "Back then I would've restrained myself from fighting back..."

Kimeru chuckled. "If only the principal could see us now," he said as he took out Kawada.

Soon, half of the former Shizuri boys lay either unconscious or in pain from the blows they have received from Takigawa and Kimeru.

Kimeru, whose attention was directed into watching Takigawa's back and dodging the blows of Fukuyama didn't notice that Kubota was already within range of him.

_'Chance!'_ Kubota thought as Fukuyama side stepped to let him deliver a blow to the unsuspecting J-Pop singer.

Takigawa looked over to Kimeru and spotted this just in time. "Look out!" he called, moving forward and took the blow from Kubota's punch as he stammered but managed to keep himself on his feet.

"Y...You...!" Kubota declared.

Takigawa spit out a fresh amount of blood that collected in his mouth. "I'm not going to let you use a dirty trick like that..." he said darkly.

Kimeru, who had just delivered a blow to Fukuyama, sending him crashing to some boxes, nearby saw Takigawa get hit. He then noticed that Kubota was the last one standing he glared at him. "I...I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS CRAP!" he shouted before advancing on him.

Takigawa's eyes widened as he looked over to Kimeru. _'This was...'_ He rushed forward. _'If I want Kimeru to remember everything... I'll have to...'_ Kimeru had pulled back a punch and was just about ready to deliver it to Kubota before Takigawa stood in his way, receiving the full force of it, causing him to slide back a few inches as he brought a hand down to balance himself before grinning. "That's enough, Kimeru... Didn't I say before that you don't have to use violence? At least... Not to this extent..." he said, looking over to Kimeru before straightening up, wincing at the bruises on his face. _'That's the last time I take punches to the face like this...'_ he reminded himself.

Kimeru froze as he stared at Takigawa for a whole two seconds before recovering. Slowly, a smirk appeared on his lips. "It was absolutely necessary this time and if I remember correctly, we never paid them back for what they did to us...Eiji," he said calmly.

Takigawa approached Kimeru a bit apprehensively. "Are you..." he began.

Kimeru nodded. "Sorry that it took so long, Eiji," he said with a smile.

Kubota frowned. "I don't know what the hell you two are talking about but this is as far as you can get!" he said as he pulled out a gun and pointed it at Takgiawa.

"Don't you dare..." Kimeru hissed.

Kubota grinned. "I would if you move even an inch…" he warned.

"Do that and you're facing life imprisonment!" A voice said from the doors of the warehouse, causing the three to look around.

Sota, along with the rest of the band club was there and behind them was the police.

Kimeru grinned. "You idiots..." he said.

"Glad to have you back, Kime," Nagayan said with a smile.

As the police filed in and took custody of Kubota's group, the band club approached Takigawa and Kimeru.

"A-re? Are you sure you're feeling alright, Takigawa-kun?" Konishi inquired. "Those bruises on your face look nasty.

Takigawa nodded. "Ah, I'm fine," he replied, turning to Kimeru and smirked. "Though I would remark at how powerful that punch of yours is, Kimeru. The first time I got hit I couldn't keep myself up," he stated.

"At least your memories have returned now, Kimeru," Sota said happily.

Kimeru nodded at them before grabbing Takigawa by the sleeve. "We're going home and we're going to have to look at those bruises," he said before dragging Takigawa back to the car.

"He's back alright," Nagayan said with a chuckled as the rest of them followed.

Takigawa let out a soft chuckle. "Hai, hai~" he replied as he followed Kimeru to the car.

Nagayan took out his phone and texted Tuti about the situation and sent it happily. "Now those two can stop worrying," he said to himself with a smile.

As soon as they got home, Kimeru had led Takigawa to the bedroom before instructing the others to make themselves at home. He went to the bathroom to retrieve the first aid kit. "Take your shirt off. Now," he ordered as he running out of the room to get some ice downstairs.

-break-

"Eiji-nii was kidnapped?" Aiba asked incredulously as he stared at Tuti.

"Matte matte! Let me finish reading Nagayan's text!" Tuti said as he scrolled down.

Shirota frowned. "Are they alright?" he asked hastily.

Tuti nodded as he finished reading the message. "They're heading back home and apparently...Kimeru has regained his memories," he informed them.

-break-

Takigawa sat down on the bed and took off his shirt as ordered before chuckling as he watched Kimeru leave the room for a moment before he brought up his fist and opened it as he saw his ring. _'I wonder why you never bothered to ask about why you had a ring on that important finger...'_ he thought to himself fondly.

"...AND NEXT TIME DON'T TELL ME THAT IT'S SOME FRIENDSHIP RING!" Kimeru yelled as he closed the door behind him. "Stupid Nagayan..." he muttered as he looked at Takigawa for a few moments. "...the injuries don't look that bad..." he said. "Here, put this on your wrist," he said as he handed Takigawa the ice bag before taking some antiseptic from the first aid kit.

Takigawa took the ice bag and did as instructed, wincing for a moment where the rope burned into his wrists before nodding. "I'm glad you got your memories back, Kime-kun..." he stated quietly.

Kimeru nodded. "Aa...but I can't believe that it took that much to get it back..." he admitted as he went back into the bathroom to get a damp cloth to clean the bruises.

-break-

Shirota brought a hand to his chest and sighed with relief. "That's good news..." he said.

"So that means that they're coming back right?" Aiba asked.

Tuti nodded. "Probably tomorrow," he said brightly. "Now, let's get dinner prepared, shall we?" he inquired, getting to his feet.

-break-

After a while, Kimeru was done attending to Takigawa's injuries and placed the medicine kit back in its place.

"Kime~~ we'll be going on our way now! And Koji already fed Q and Pearl! So don't bother going out anymore, we'll be locking the door so you won't have to worry," Nagayan said as he knocked on the door.

"And I took the liberty of making you two some dinner~" Furukawa said followed by a grunt from Daisuke.

"We'll be visiting again, you two!" Konishi said before their footsteps were heard going downstairs followed by the sound of the front door closing.

"...those guys...they never change..." Kimeru said with a chuckle as he came back into the room. He sat beside Takigawa and looked at the carpeted floor. "Sorry about all this trouble..." he started. "I remember the look on your face when I asked Nagayan who you were...must have been hard for you."

A sad smile settled on Takigawa's face as he nodded feebly. "But I knew you'd be able to regain your memories somehow... So I asked Nagayan if I could take charge of you and shoulder the responsibility of getting you to remember..." He paused and pulled Kimeru to rest his head on his shoulder. "From you driving... seeing Pearl and Q... my old bedroom... up until earlier... I had hoped that seeing these things and others helped you connect the pieces together, in the end..." He smiled as he looked up at their picture together. "I'm glad you did..."

Kimeru smiled as he took hold of one of Takigawa's hand. "Aa...I did...but you still got hurt in the process." he said before sighing heavily. "But during that time when I asked who you were...why didn't you tell me the truth?" he asked.

"It would've been awkward and I was sure you'd laugh at me being in that state of mind," Takigawa replied.

"It appears that you know me quite well," he said with a chuckle before adjusting a bit to look at Takigawa. "Did you miss me while I was reverted into being back in senior high?" he teased

"I did," Takigawa replied, looking over to Kimeru. "Every single day you couldn't remember who I was to you... I missed you..." he said, his voice trailing off as he leaned over and took him in a passionate kiss he had wanted to do for so long.

_'I never want to go through that ever again...This was what I felt was missing during those days I can't remember you...and I don't want to lose this again...ever,'_ Kimeru thought as he responded to the kiss.

-break-

Aiba sighed as he inched closer to Shirota. "Ne Yuu..." he started. "What's the first thing you want to do once we get the cast off? ...Of course you get yours off before mine..."

Shirota grinned. "I've had something in mind... But that's not until my leg is fully healed," he replied, turning to Aiba. "What about you?"

"I want to go clubbing…" Aiba admitted. "...and dance the night away," he said with a smile, he paused before looking at Shirota. "That and spending a proper night with you."

Shirota chuckled. "That's just what Kimeru and I thought you'd want to do..." he said slyly.

Aiba blinked. "Which one? The first one or the second one?" he asked.

Shirota smiled. "Both," he replied before pressing his forehead against Aiba's and captured his lips for five seconds before pulling back as Tuti entered the living room.

"Dinner's ready~" he announced.

Aiba frowned when Tuti entered the living room. _'Just a few more months Hiroki...just wait a few more months...'_ he told himself.

+++January 13, 2007+++

The next day, Takigawa sported a few new bandages on his face as he and Kimeru returned to stay over at Shirota and Aiba's place with Q, Pearl and their bags. Tuti answered the door and nodded over to them. "Ohayou~" the first Oishi actor greeted as he offered to help them with their things.

Takigawa went inside and raised an eyebrow when he saw Shirota and Aiba sleeping in the living room.

"Shirota-kun fell asleep right after dinner... Aiba suggested not to wake him up and ended up sleeping with him there," Tuti explained.

Kimeru chuckled when he saw this. "Thanks for taking care of them for a while, Tuti," he said with a smile. He jumped a bit when he felt something fluffy on his foot. He looked down and picked Momo up. "Hello there." he said as he patted the guinea pig.

Shirota stirred and rubbed his eyes before looking around. "A-re? Morning?" he said sleepily, looking around before spotting Takigawa. "AHHH!" he screamed, efficiently waking Aiba up beside him.

Takigawa blinked before shaking his head. "Honestly..." he said, sighing.

Aiba was jolted awake by the scream. "What's going on?" he asked as he looked around, spotting Kimeru and Takigawa nearby. "Kime-nii! Eiji-nii!" he exclaimed as he looked at them.

"Uh...yeah?" Kimeru said as Momo moved up his head.

Shirota rubbed his nose, grinning over to them. "Glad to see you two are alright. But Eiji-nii, you-"

"It's too early in the morning for this," Takigawa interjected. "I don't want to hear it, either..."

Aiba smiled. "So how are the two of you?" he asked. Kimeru gave him a thumbs-up sign, causing Aiba to chuckle.

"Aching..." Takigawa replied as Tuti announced his leave.

"I would imagine... Did you get into a fight last night, Eiji-nii?" Shirota asked worriedly.

"You should have seen him; he was like one of those action stars in the movies," Kimeru said as he took Momo from his head.

"But you also look a bit beaten up, Kime-nii..." Aiba said.

"All I did was throw a punch here and there," he said with a shrug.

"I'd rather we not talk about that anymore..." Takigawa began.

"Ne ne, what happened? Nagayan-senpai didn't tell us much last night when he sent that message to Tuti-senpai..." Shirota asked.

Kimeru patted Shirota on the head. "We'll tell you once tou-san over there is in a better mood," he told him.

Shirota pouted but nodded.

Takigawa eased himself into an armchair, heaving a sigh of relief as he leaned back and closed his eyes. "Finally... We can relax a bit..." he pronounced.

Kimeru chuckled. "True...it's nice to be back here," he said. "Not to mention it's good to see you two improving."

Shirota eyed Takigawa for a while before nodding over in response to Kimeru. "We were used to having you two around all the time... So when you guys were gone..." he paused and looked over to Aiba.

Aiba nodded at Shirota before continuing. "…it felt quite different," he said. "That's why we were looking forward to you coming back. No offense to Tuti-senpai who took care of us while you were gone," he added quickly.

Takigawa smiled, nodding over to the two. "Nice of you to say so," he said before he got to his feet quickly earning him a wince as he brought a hand to his ribs, bending over. "I-te..."

"Oi, are you alright, Eiji-nii?" Shirota inquired in concern.

Takigawa nodded slowly. "A...Aa..."

Kimeru sighed, as he placed a hand on Takigawa's shoulder. "Stay still for a while and let me handle things for a while," he said.

Takigawa slowly sat himself back down before nodding. "Suman..." he apologized before looking down at his ribs. _'Must've bruised them yesterday... Ch'...'_ "This is why I hate getting into fights..." he muttered to himself.

Shirota frowned but decided not to force the issue.

Kimeru looked at the time and nodded to himself. "I'm going to get lunch ready so the three of you better stay here...yes Aibacchin, you too."

Aiba pouted when he heard this.

Takigawa watched Kimeru head off to the kitchen before sighing.

"Ne, Eiji-nii..." Shirota said, calling the older man's attention before he continued. "Those bruises on your face... Did..."

Takigawa smirked, nodding. "Just a one-time thing, though... These other bruises came from the group of guys who ambushed me... They were the same group back in Senior High..." he explained as he brought a hand up to his bandaged cheek.

"The ones from Shizuri?" Aiba asked with a frown, remembering that certain time in Senior High.

Takigawa nodded. "Looks like they got me in the ribs a bit _too_ hard..." he complained, bringing his hand to his ribs again. "I was on the way back to the house since I left Kimeru with his old band mates from Senior High... I ran into them and got into a fight with them... I ended up getting knocked unconscious in the process when all of them advanced on me..." he explained quietly. "When I came to, I found myself tied to a chair and Kimeru was there..." Takigawa smiled. "It's funny how that scene reminded me of the first encounter we had with that gang..."

Aiba blinked. "If I remember correctly, it was the other way around then. Kime-nii was the one in trouble and you came to save him."

"True. Consider it a role reversal of sorts," Takigawa implied before continuing. "Anyway, Kimeru untied me as soon as I woke up and the two of us managed to keep the others at bay... Until Kubota decided to pull a surprise attack on Kimeru by throwing a punch from behind him..." He pointed to his other cheek. "That was where this came from."

"So the other cheek..." Shirota said, his eyes widening in realization.

Takigawa nodded. "I took Kimeru's punch that was intended for Kubota. Doing that... ended up getting Kimeru's memories back," he explained.

"How did you know that Kime-nii's memories came back?" Aiba asked curiously.

Takigawa smirked. "He started calling me 'Eiji' again," he replied.

Aiba grinned, but before he could say something Kimeru returned. "I heated something Tuti made so- A-re...why are you smirking like that?" he asked Takigawa.

Takigawa shook it off. "No reason," he lied, looking over to Kimeru. "So you were saying about lunch?" he inquired, trying to change the topic.

"Tuti made something for lunch already and left in in the fridge. I'm just re-heating it," he said before sitting on the armrest of Takigawa's chair.

"Tuti-senpai liked to do things in advance...and for some reason the guinea pigs were afraid of him..." Aiba said.

Shirota nodded in agreement. "But that dish he made last night was pretty tasty..." he complimented. "I remember Tezuka coming over and wanting to try some from my shoulder," he stated.

"Seems you and Tezuka have finally destroyed that barrier between you two," Takigawa pointed out. "You two used to hate each other, didn't you?"

Shirota scratched his cheek as the said guinea pig came scurrying up the couch and along Shirota's arm. He turned to the guinea pig and frowned. "Oi, why are you leaving Fu-"

Kimeru frowned as observed Tezuka. "That's not being affectionate...that's like he's trying to tell you something..." he said as he turned his gaze to the cage. He looked at Momo in his hands before facing the group again. "Has Echizen been leaving the cage lately, because I find it strange that Momo has been out for a while and I don't see Echizen anywhere..."

Aiba blinked. "Now that I think about it...he's always been inside the cage with Fuji..." he said as he stood up and walked over to the cage to take out Echizen who scurried from his hold to get back into the cage, immediately moving to get near Fuji. "What's wrong, Echizen?" Aiba asked.

Echizen ran to Aiba's hand before going to Fuji, doing the same process three times.

Aiba then took Fuji. "I think we better take Fuji to the vet..." he said as he examined the guinea pig. "Something's wrong...she's...warmer than usual and she isn't responding to Echizen like she normally does."

Shirota looked over to Tezuka. "If you went to Aiba and made a fuss, I think we would've noticed it sooner, Tezuka..." he said quietly as the guinea pig nuzzled against his neck.

Aiba rolled his eyes. "Tezuka people..." he muttered before taking out his phone. "I'm going to call Takuya...he knows a vet that does home service," he said as he dialed a number before handing Fuji to Kimeru who was sitting on the couch near Shirota.

"She's wheezing..." Kimeru said as he listened. "I hope it's nothing serious…"

Momo and Echizen rushed to Kimeru and went to his shoulders, looking at their mother who still remained unresponsive. Tezuka moved along Shirota's arm and approached Fuji slowly.

Takigawa watched the guinea pigs and frowned. "I wonder how long this has been going on... With Fuji, I mean..."

Aiba ended the call and joined them again. "If signs are already showing it's usually serious...that's what Takuya said...let's just hope that nothing bad happens," he said. "The vet will come at around 2…which would give us enough time to have lunch for a while."

Kimeru nodded as he placed Fuji back in the cage for a while. "Let's not let the others inside just yet," he said and Aiba nodded in agreement.

Momo and Echizen went up to the cage and tried pawing their way in. Aiba picked them up, "Sorry guys...not this time."

Tezuka returned to Shirota's shoulder and just lied there. "Someone's upset..." Shirota said, glancing momentarily at the guinea pig on his shoulder as he brought a hand up and took hold of the father guinea pig and stroked up gently. "But don't worry, okay? I'm sure Fuji will be fine, Tezuka..." he told the creature reassuringly.

"I'll bring lunch over. Could you help me bring it here, Aibacchin?" Kimeru asked.

Aiba nodded. "Hai, No problem Kime-nii," he said before heading to the kitchen with Kimeru.

Momo and Echizen gave up in getting in the cage and went towards Takigawa and stayed on his lap.

Takigawa looked at the two and smirked. "Why can't the two of you behave like this _all_ the time?" he complained lightly, shaking his head and stroked the two, one with each hand.

-break-

After finishing lunch, Kimeru was in the kitchen finishing up the dishes when someone rang the doorbell.

Aiba opened the door and saw Takuya and Kazuki along with someone he assumed to be the vet. "Aibacchin~ long time no see," Takuya greeted. "So where's Fuji?" he asked.

"In the cage," Aiba answered, closing the door behind them as Kimeru joined the group.

"Takigawa-senpai~, Kimeru-senpai~ Shirota-kun~" Takuya greeted each of them.

"May I take a look at her?" the vet asked and Aiba nodded.

Momo and Echizen moved up to Takigawa's shoulder. "Eiji, Shiotan, you two may want to hold on to those three…they might charge and bite…" Kimeru said.

Takigawa took hold of the two rowdy guinea pigs that were Momo and Echizen as Shirota grasped Tezuka with both hands.

"We might be the ones who'll end up being bitten," Shirota said with a frown.

"It's a minor thing to endure, Shirotan," Takigawa told him. "I'm sure you've already been bitten once or twice when you had Tezuka around..." he said.

The vet picked up Fuji and sure enough Momo bit down on Takigawa's hand and tried to get away. "Here let me…" Takuya said as he took Momo and did something that caused the guinea pig to calm down. "There you go," he said as he handed him back. "He won't be causing trouble for a few minutes," he said before doing the same with Echizen and Tezuka.

Kazuki grinned. "He's a fanatic..." he explained to Takigawa and Shirota.

After a while, the vet placed Fuji back in the cage. "She has URI..." he informed them. "It's not that serious so we don't have to worry too much. Just add this antibiotic to the food you give her for a week and she'll be back to normal…" he said as he handed the antibiotic to Kimeru. "For the meantime...we have to isolate her from the three others."

Aiba frowned. "Now that...could be a problem," he muttered.

Takigawa let the bite go for now while he had to hold Momo in check while the vet was examining Fuji. He turned to Aiba. "You could use another cage for the meantime..." he suggested. "Like Pearl's traveling cage..." he said, gesturing to the said object on the floor near the guinea pigs' cage.

After the vet had left Aiba went over to place the three in the temporary cage. "Sorry guys...but orders are orders," he said as he closed the cage.

Kimeru sighed. "I'm betting that at least one of them will find a way out of that..."

"...and I have a feeling that it would be Tezuka," Aiba finished.

Takigawa slowly got to his feet, bringing his finger to his mouth, sipping on the blood. "I'll just go and wash this..." he said.

"Are you sure you'll be alright, Eiji-nii?" Shirota inquired.

"Alright Eiji, up to bed with you," Kimeru said with a frown as soon as Takigawa was finished tending to his finger.

Aiba looked at Shirota. "Kime-nii's going mommy again, isn't he?" he asked quietly.

"And no arguments this time. You are going upstairs to lie down!" Kimeru continued, not noticing what Aiba had said.

Takigawa brought both hands up in surrender. "I'm going, I'm going..." he replied meekly, heading upstairs and to the guest room without another word.

Shirota stared at this and gaped his mouth. "I don't believe it..."

Aiba looked at Shirota. "Can't believe what?" he asked.

Kimeru followed Takigawa upstairs. "You are not coming out of the room until dinner, is that understood?" he asked as they reached the bedroom.

Shirota turned to Aiba, swallowing hard. "How many times do we see Kime-nii taking command of a situation? Especially between him and Eiji-nii?" he inquired.

-break-

Takigawa kicked the slippers off and sat himself down on the bed, nodding. "Aa..." he replied half-heartedly before moving beneath the blanket and rolled on his side, his back to the door and to Kimeru as he tried to get some sleep.

Aiba nodded in understanding. "Kime-nii can be scary when he wants to be but..." he said as he looked at the stairs. "There's something else there right now that's causing him to be this overprotective and mommy-ish..." Aiba said before looking at Shirota. "You should have noticed this the moment Kime-nii told Eiji-nii to head upstairs..." he said with a grin. "It's called 'Guilt'."

"I see... That explains it, then..." Shirota said, stroking his chin.

Aiba sighed." By the looks of it, the only way to get Kime-nii back to normal is that we have to get him and Eiji-nii to talk properly...or else Kime-nii will be like this for a long time..." he said as he thought for a while. "...unless Eiji-nii decides to turn the tables once he gets better. So two choices, we wait it out or we get them to talk."

Shirota shrugged. "Personally, I don't want to see Kime-nii acting like this... On the other hand, it'll be difficult to get them to talk with one another..." He took a moment to take a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I want to believe Eiji-nii can fix this," he said, looking over to Aiba. "After all, you said it yourself... That he was a natural miracle worker..."

Aiba chuckled. "That's true...then I guess we would just have to endure Kime-nii being like this for a while," he said. "I'm sure Eiji-nii will find a way sooner or later...let's just hope that he had already figured it out by now."

Kimeru sighed before heading back downstairs. "Alright you two..." he said as he looked at Shirota and Aiba. "After dinner later you will also head to bed...I don't want you sleeping on the couches again."

"Agreed," Shirota said before turning to Kimeru. "Hai..." he replied, his gaze averted to the stairs. _'Eiji-nii... Tell us you've thought of something to lighten Kime-nii's mood...'_ he thought.

Takigawa shifted in bed, wincing every now and then at the bruises on his upper body. _'Ku-so...'_ he cursed to himself, his eyes snapping open as he stared at the ceiling, slowly bringing an arm over his eyes. _'Baka Kime... getting all guilty over this when none of it was your fault...'_

Dinner passed by quickly as Shirota and Aiba tried their best not to upset Kimeru more than he already is. After assisting Shirota to the room, Kimeru left them with a warning in case they decided to sneak out of the room.

Aiba sighed in relief as the door closed. "That's a relief...so now it's up to Eiji-nii for a while."

Kimeru quietly entered the guest room and checked on Takigawa before changing. "Oyasumi Eiji..." he said quietly as he went to his side of the bed and laid down, his back on Takigawa.

Shirota pulled the blanket over him, nodding. "Let's hope tomorrow brings a less power-hungry Kime-nii..." he muttered.

Aiba nodded as he joined Shirota under the covers, kissing him lightly before pulling away, "Oyasumi Yuu~" he said before closing his eyes.

"Kimeru..." Takigawa stated slowly, his eyes closed when he felt a weight sink onto the bed beside him. "You don't have to blame yourself for anything, you know..."

Kimeru frowned, but chose to stay silent.

"The inevitable happened... And I want to blame myself for making the mistake of not being with you..." Takigawa continued quietly. "But what happened happened... You and I got into a little ruckus... Got ourselves hurt... But in the end..." he paused and inched closer to Kimeru, biting back another wince as he slowly brought an arm around Kimeru. "You remembered me... So let's not brood too much on it anymore... okay?"

Kimeru turned around to face Takigawa and carefully placed his arms around him, nodding silently. "I just don't like the idea of you getting hurt..." he said.

Takigawa smiled softly, leaning forward and kissing Kimeru on the forehead before pulling back. "Then let me repeat the words you once told me: Anything for you...Kimeru... I'm willing to endure anything and everything if it meant that you would be safe..."

Kimeru fought back a smile when he heard this. "Baka..." he whispered at a loss of what to say. After a while of comfortable silence, Kimeru fell asleep in Takigawa's arms.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

We look forward to your reviews and possible suggestions. :)


	14. Visits and Stubbornness

**Title:** Anything for You

**Author/Artist:** snooperj & Bloodysamurai

**Series/Pairing(s):** TeniMyu; Mainly Takigawa Eiji x Kimeru & Shirota Yuu x Aiba Hiroki

**Notes:** Here is the 14th chapter entitled **Visits and Stubbornness**. Having recovered Kimeru's memories, Takigawa shows signs of fatigue due to the fight the previous evening. The foursome is treated to a special visit from two voice actors before Takigawa gets into a little mishap, earning him a trip to the hospital. This chapter details the event of January 14, 2007.

**ALSO! None of the authors of this roleplay/fanfic own TeniMyu or the actors, but are mere fangirls of the musical series and corresponding actors we write about. Everything that progresses in the story is the creation of our witty imaginations.

* * *

+++January 14, 2007+++

The next day, Takigawa rolled onto his back, his body aching as he groaned, slowly sitting up. "I guess it was a bad idea to stay in that position..." he scolded himself lightly. "Even a bruise here..." he said, examining his arm. "How troublesome..."

-break-

Kimeru had woken up earlier than Takigawa did on purpose; after all he had planned to let the other rest so that he would recover from the bruises much faster. He was humming one of his songs as he made breakfast.

-break-

Takigawa exhaled and sank back onto the bed, wanting to sleep a few more hours as he closed his eyes, wincing at the bruises on his back. _'Mou...'_ he growled to himself, hissing in pain.

-break-

As soon as Kimeru was done with breakfast, he placed them on a tray before going out to check on the pets of the household. He checked on Q and Pearl first before the guinea pigs; he smiled when he saw that during the night Tezuka had managed to get out of their temporary cage and went back to the original cage and was now beside Fuji. "Aren't you supportive..." he said as he patted Tezuka.

-break-

Shirota rubbed the sleep from his eyes and slowly sat himself up, yawning. "Wonder if Kime-nii's still in a bad mood today..." he thought out loud as he looked over to Aiba who was still asleep.

-break-

Kimeru watched the two creatures for a while before taking Tezuka. "Sorry, but you have to leave the cage..." he said before Tezuka bit him, causing him to let go. "Fine, don't blame me if Eiji lectures you…" he said with a sigh before standing up to wash his finger.

-break-

"How am I supposed to sleep like this?" Takigawa muttered darkly to himself, sitting back up, rubbing the back of his neck before noticing that Kimeru was not in the bed with him. "He's awake...?" he said to himself, looking over to the desk clock on the bedside table.

-break-

Kimeru looked at the two trays and decided to take the one with his and Takigawa's breakfast up first. _'Either that or he'll come down in a few minutes,'_ he thought as went upstairs. He managed to open the door to their room and saw that Takigawa was awake. "Ohayou~" he greeted with a smile.

Takigawa turned to the door and nodded. "Ohayou..." he replied. "I was about to head downstairs..." he said, pulling the blanket off him and swung his legs to the side of the bed as his feet touched the floor.

"Oh no you don't!" Kimeru scolded. "You are going to stay here and rest for the morning," he said. "So eat your breakfast and go back to bed," he said as he placed the tray on the bedside table before setting up the small table that could be placed on the bed.

Takigawa frowned. "Even if I wanted to, I can't..." he muttered.

"Having trouble sleeping because of your bruises?" Kimeru asked as he placed the plate on the small table. "Then eat your breakfast and I'll come back to help you with that," he said softly before kissing Takigawa on the cheek to head back downstairs for Shirota and Aiba's breakfast.

Takigawa winced before nodding, bringing his legs back on the bed and arranged the table in front of him before he began to eat what Kimeru had prepared.

-break-

"Oi...Aibacchin..." Shirota said quietly, prodding the boy on the back of the head with the Shirota plushie's hand.

Aiba looked up at Shirota sleepily. "It's morning...?" he asked before the door opened to reveal Kimeru with their breakfast.

"Good morning, you two. Looks like I came in just in time," he said with a smile as he arranged the bed table and gave them their breakfast. "I'll be back for the plates in a while, I just need to help Eiji," he said before leaving.

Aiba blinked. "Looks like...Eiji-nii managed to pull it off..." he said.

Shirota smiled softly. "Count on him to change Kime-nii's mood during the night," he said before digging in to his breakfast.

-break-

Takigawa took in the last of his own breakfast before he proceeded to set the bed table down on the floor before he winced, losing his grip on the table as it crashed the last few inches to the floor where, thankfully, nothing broke. He pushing himself back up with the help of the bedside table and brought a hand to his ribs again. "It's already been two days..." he muttered angrily to himself, gritting his teeth. "Give me a break already..."

Kimeru heard a loud sound and rushed to the guest room. "Eiji?" he exclaimed as soon as he pulled open the door. He looked at the tray on the floor and saw the glass that had fallen from it; fortunately nothing was broken. He sighed in relief. "Alright Eiji...on your stomach," he said as he picked up the glass and the tray before setting them on the side table.

"What?" Takigawa inquired.

"I said I was going to help you right? So on your stomach," Kimeru repeated. "It's just for less than five minutes and it won't even hurt more than a minute," he assured him as he sat on the side of the bed. "Trust me, I've done this before."

Takigawa gave an uneasy nod and carefully shifted onto his stomach, letting his head rest on the pillows. "It will still hurt either way, right?" he asked.

"The pain will last in less than a minute I promise..." Kimeru said. "Oh...and during that time, feel free to scream in pain…" he added before starting the process.

Without warning, Takigawa _did_ scream out in pain before burying his face onto the pillow to muffle it, trying to calm himself down in the process.

-break-

Shirota lowered his spoon and turned to Aiba, frowning. "Was that...Eiji-nii?"

"I...I think so..." Aiba said as he looked at Shirota. "Do you think I should go check?" he asked.

Shirota shook his head. "Kime-nii would be telling us about it if it was something serious..." he replied quietly, returning to his food.

-break-

Kimeru winced when he heard Takigawa scream in pain. "Relax Eiji..." he coaxed as he continued the massage, careful not to bother the healing bruises, but at the same time putting pressure in some parts to help alleviate the pain. A full minute passed. "Does it still hurt?" he asked quietly.

Takigawa was panting slowly as Kimeru continued the massage. "Not... as much as earlier..." he muttered in reply.

Kimeru nodded. "That just means that it's working," he said with a smile. "Just endure it a little longer..." he said as his hands moved up to Takigawa's shoulders to repeat the process.

Takigawa gritted his teeth for the rest of the massage while at the same time finding himself able to relax a little easier.

-break-

Aiba nodded. "Hmm...I think I'll check on Fuji later..." Aiba said as he continued eating his food.

"Which reminds me... I wonder about Tezuka..." Shirota said, taking his last bite of breakfast.

Aiba chuckled. "I'm sure he found a way out and is now with Fuji," he said as he lied back, having finished with his breakfast.

-break-

Half an hour later, Kimeru was done. "There...now you shouldn't have a hard time lying on your back anymore," he said with a satisfied smile.

Takigawa pushed himself off the bed for a minute, sitting up and pecked Kimeru on the cheek. "Arigatou, Kime-kun," he said before lying down on his back and gave a moan of approval.

Kimeru smiled. "Now go ahead and rest...I'll just be downstairs," he said as he took the tray and left the room.

Takigawa nodded before pulling the blanket over him as he shut his eyes, pleased that he could get some decent sleep without having to worry about anything for the time being.

-break-

Kimeru went to Shirota and Aiba's room first to get their trays before heading down. "Wait here, you two...I'll come back so that Shirotan can go downstairs," he said.

"Hai~" Shirota replied as Kimeru left the room.

-break-

After Kimeru was done with the dishes he went back upstairs to assist Shirota to get downstairs. "There we go," he said as he led Shirota to the couch.

Aiba immediately looked at the cage nearby. "Aha! Just as I suspected, Tezuka's in there with Fuji!" he said with a smile.

Kimeru shrugged. "I can't take him out...he bites...hard," Kimeru said as he showed his finger with the small wound.

Shirota rested his arms on the back of the couch as he faced the cage, eying the guinea pigs. "Tezuka's getting overprotective of his partner that he doesn't want to part with her..." he said fondly.

Aiba nodded as he looked at the guinea pigs. "That's-" he stopped as he looked at Shirota with wide eyes. "Is it me or did you just make an attempt at a pun?" he asked.

Kimeru chuckled. "I think he just did."

Shirota glared to the two Fuji actors. "I... Of course I didn't!" he said defensively.

"We didn't mean it in a negative-" Aiba was cut off as Tezuka ran out of the cage and hopped on the couch, stopping on Shirota's shoulder. "Someone's feeling down..." he said as he turned his attention back to Fuji.

Kimeru sighed. "I would be too if I was in his place..."

Shirota looked over to Tezuka and frowned. "And here I thought you didn't want to be away from Fuji..." he said quietly, stroking the guinea pig.

Aiba sighed as he stroked Fuji. "She's really weak..." he said sadly.

"The vet said it'll take a week before Fuji gets better, right?" Shirota asked in confirmation.

Aiba sighed. "I know...but I can't help but worry."

"Speaking of which..." Shirota turned to Kimeru. "How's Eiji-nii doing, Kime-nii?"

Kimeru grinned. "He's doing well. He's upstairs taking a well deserved rest."

"We heard him scream earlier..." Shirota continued. "What was that about?"

"I gave him a massage," Kimeru answered with a pleasant smile.

"That must've hurt..." Shirota said to himself, returning his attention to Tezuka.

"During the first few seconds, yes it did," Kimeru said.

-break-

Takigawa woke up when it was about time for lunch. He pushed himself up and eventually got to his feet, chuckling to himself as he moved to the door. _'Someone would be scolding me for this later... But staying in here alone is just boring...'_ he told himself with a smirk on his lips as he pushed the door open and stumbled into the hallway.

Kimeru was looking at some pictures when he heard something from upstairs. "That better not be you, Takigawa Eiji," he called out.

Shirota looked from Kimeru to the top of the stairs where Takigawa was. "You should take it easy from time to time, Eiji-nii," he added.

Takigawa smiled as he clutched onto the banister as he made his way downstairs. "Is it a crime for not wanting to stay in one place all day alone?" he asked.

Kimeru sighed. "Fine...but don't blame me if you start hurting again," he said with a sigh.

Aiba smiled. "Join us over here, Eiji-nii," he said with a smile.

As Takigawa reached the foot of the stairs, he approached Kimeru and tilted his chin up, kissing him on the lips before saying quietly, "I'm fully aware of the consequences... Don't worry..." He nodded before heading to the living room and easing himself onto one of the long couches so he could lie down.

Kimeru smiled as Takigawa joined them in the living room. "So what do we do to pass the time for a while?" he asked the group.

"Besides waiting for lunch?" Shirota teased.

Aiba was about to suggest something when he heard the doorbell. "Who could that be?" he asked as he stood up. "Ye-" he was cut off as his eyes went wide. "K-K-K-K-Kaida Yuki?" he stuttered out.

Shirota turned to the door. "Hontou?" he exclaimed before he saw the Fuji seiyuu at their doorstep. "Aahhhh!" He pointed a finger at the man who was with her. "Okiayu Ryoutarou!"

Aiba opened the door to let them in. "Come in..." he said.

"We heard from Ueshima-sensei that you two got into an accident when we went to the Myu practices a few months back," Yuki said as she came in. "And we decided to pay a visit."

Kimeru and Aiba looked at one another at the mention of the term "accident".

"Aww...how cute..." Yuki said as he saw the picture of Shirota and Aiba on the wall.

Okiayu nodded to Aiba as he followed Yuki inside before spotting Kimeru and Takigawa. "Ah, looks like even the first generation Tezuka and Fuji actors are here," he pointed out, bowing to them. "We never got to thank you for your hard work when you were on stage," he said.

Shirota scratched his cheek in slight embarrassment. "Thank you for taking your time to visit, Kaida-san... Okiayu-san..." he said, nodding to the two.

"You can call me Yuki...no need for formalities," Yuki said pleasantly, "Ah~ and for the intrusion we brought something, right Okiayu-san?" she said.

Aiba then spotted two familiar balls of fluff heading towards the two voice actors. "Momo! Echizen!" he exclaimed.

Okiayu nodded before lowering his gaze to the approaching guinea pigs and bent down, outstretching his hand as the two got onto his palm. "Interesting names," he complimented before revealing the container of sushi he pulled out from behind him.

Shirota furrowed his brows when he contemplated on an accident he and Aiba were in before stating, "But that wasn't-"

Takigawa cleared his throat distractedly as he sat up, gesturing Shirota not to say anything about it.

"Okiayu-san, Kaida-san, please have a seat," Kimeru said as he gestured to the empty couch just across the one Shirota was on.

Aiba watched the two guinea pigs closely as they made their way up Okiayu's shoulder.

"They're very interesting..." Yuki said as she took one of them. "A-re? How about that one?" she asked as she spotted Tezuka on Shirota's shoulder.

"That one's Tezuka..." Aiba said with a smile.

"Are there others?" Yuki asked,

"Just one more..." Kimeru answered. "Fuji...she's sick though so I wouldn't really advice taking her out of the cage."

Okiayu nodded sadly as he put the sushi on the coffee table. "I do hope she gets better quickly," he said as he stroked Echizen with a finger. "A-re? Takigawa-kun, are you alright?" he inquired worriedly, seeing Takigawa properly since they came in.

Takigawa nodded stiffly. "Hai... It's nothing serious," he reassured him.

"Ne, Aiba-kun… Would you mind if I ask you a rather personal question?" Yuki asked suddenly as Kimeru excused himself for a while to get them something to drink.

"Go ahead, Kaida-san," Aiba said as he drank from a glass of juice that Kimeru had handed him.

"This picture of you and Shirota-kun...does this mean…" she trailed off as she gestured to the picture, a wide smile on her face.

Aiba choked on the juice that he was drinking and Kimeru quickly took the glass and patted Aiba on the back. "Gomen...he gets shocked about these kinds of questions."

"He never manages to answer them properly, though," Shirota teased, chuckling. "But to answer on his behalf, yes we are, Yuki-san," he added, smiling sweetly over to the Fuji seiyuu.

"That's great, you two," Yuki said happily. "And I trust that you also found a special someone, Kimeru-kun," she asked the J-Pop singer. "After all, that has been the issue with you since we first met back in 2001," she teased.

Kimeru chuckled. "I did find someone to settle down with," he said.

"And do I know this person?" she asked.

Kimeru nodded. "He's right here," he said as he sat on the armrest of Takigawa's chair and took hold of his hand.

"How cute...two TezukaFuji couples..." Yuki said in amusement.

"Three actually if you add their pets," Kimeru added.

"And what about the two of you, Okiayu-san? Yuki-san?" Takigawa inquired.

Yuki looked at Okiayu for a while before turning a bit red and looking away. "I'm afraid we're not," she said with a smile.

Kimeru grinned inwardly, noticing the look that Yuki had given the other seiyuu.

Takigawa nodded in understanding.

Okiayu set Echizen down before attending to their little present. "Have you eaten lunch?" he inquired off-handedly.

Shirota shook his head. "Not yet," he replied.

Okiayu smiled. "Then this would make a fine appetizer," he said proudly.

Yuki nodded. "Aa...and if we remembered correctly, Kimeru might be able to finish half of what we brought," she teased.

Kimeru smirked. "I think I can still do that, but this time around someone can give me a run for my money," he said as he looked at Shirota.

Shirota pointed to himself. "What, you think I-"

"Calm down Shirotan," Takigawa said. "There's no need to be bashful about your eating habits."

Shirota frowned as Okiayu laughed. "Go right ahead, Shirota-kun," he said, gesturing to the platter of sushi.

"Ah wait~ I'll go and bring you some," Aiba said as he stood to get his and Shirota's share of the sushi. "Here you go..." he said as he returned to his seat.

"So tell us, what is it like to be Tezuka and Fuji on stage?" Yuki brought up.

"Arigatou, Hiroki~" Shirota said in thanks as he took one and popped it eagerly into his mouth.

Takigawa looked over to Kimeru for a moment before returning his gaze to the two seiyuus. "Difficult," he replied.

"How so?" Okiayu inquired.

"For one thing..." Takigawa brought his right hand up. "I'm right-handed." He then pointed to Shirota. "He has no problems with that because he's naturally a southpaw," he added.

"For me it sort of came naturally," Kimeru answered with a smile.

Yuki laughed. "That's because we did some Fuji impersonations back when you were still working with us for the first part of the dubbing," she said.

"True..."

"How about you, Aiba-kun?" Yuki asked.

Aiba thought for a moment. "It was a bit hard at first since I wasn't really used to acting...or singing for that matter, but after a while it just came naturally for me too," he answered.

"They came to possess that natural Fuji aura..." Shirota offered after swallowing his second sushi.

"It was a challenge on my part since I wasn't all too much of a singer..." Takigawa said.

"You were quite an appeal to the audience, though," Okiayu complimented.

Takigawa smiled fondly. "Practice pays off, I suppose."

"Shirota-kun?" Okiayu inquired, turning to the second cast Tezuka. "In personality, you're quite the opposite of the stoic captain, aren't you?"

Shirota chuckled. "As you see me, yes. But I would have to thank my ability of acting and singing that made all the difference while I was in TeniMyu... To be able to personify Tezuka Kunimitsu succeeding Eiji-nii was an honor, and I leave it to everyone watching on how well a job I did while I took on the role."

"But despite everything you say the four of you managed to pull it off quite well," Yuki said with a bright smile. "I'm sure that even Konomi-sensei would have been proud."

Aiba smiled at this. "Thank you, Kaida-san," he said.

"Why don't you stay for lunch?" Takigawa offered the two seiyuus as he moved to get up. "As this is a rare occasion and all..."

"I wouldn't really want to cause any trouble…" Yuki said but Kimeru stood up already and smiled at her

"It's okay Kaida-san. I insist," he said.

Yuki paused for a moment. "Only if I can help out," she said.

"No problem," Kimeru said with a chuckle.

"I'll help too!" Aiba said as he stood up as well.

"To the kitchen then~" Kimeru said as the three of them headed to the kitchen.

The two Tezuka actors and Tezuka seiyuu watched them head off to the kitchen as Takigawa settled back to the couch, sighing with relief.

Shirota chuckled. "You were going to offer to cook weren't you, Eiji-nii?" he inquired.

Takigawa nodded. "But it would be interesting to find out what they would come up with, so I'm happy either way. I can relax myself in the meantime," he stated.

Okiayu smiled at this before looking at the platter. "Ah, there's one more left. Would any of you like to have it?"

Takigawa and Shirota looked at one another before both shook their heads. "You can have it, Okiayu-san," Shirota said.

Okiayu nodded. "Arigatou," he thanked before taking the last sushi.

-break-

"So what can we make?" Yuki asked as she looked around, "Hmmm... Let's try some Curry Rice. Okiayu likes those," she said with a smile.

Aiba and Kimeru looked at one another in understanding before they started preparing the meal.

"So...Kaida-san...after almost five years of working with him... Have you told him yet?" Kimeru asked slyly.

"I...I don't know what you're talking about Kimeru-kun..." Yuki said as she concentrated on slicing the dishes while the two combined their efforts in making the other preparations.

-break-

"Shirota-kun..." Okiayu began.

"Hai?"

"How is your leg doing?"

Shirota looked over to Tezuka on his shoulder, to Takigawa, to Okiayu and finally to his cast. "It's... healing up rather nicely. Hopefully by June I'll be able to have it taken off," he replied.

Okiayu nodded. "It must've been quite an accident to sustain a broken leg..." he said sadly.

Takigawa nodded. "Kimeru and I have been taking care of him and Aiba since then," he explained.

-break-

"The four of you seem to have a nice family feeling around," Yuki said as she added some spices to the curry. Aiba smiled as he moved out of the way as the seiyuu went to the other side of the kitchen. "Aiba-kun, could you stir that please?" she asked as she looked for something in the cabinets.

Aiba nodded as he went over to the stove and took a wooden spoon to use before stirring the curry.

"Aibacchin~ not like that…" Kimeru said as he went up from behind the boy and took hold of his hand to show him how to stir it right. "If you do it that way then it the taste won't spread evenly."

"H-Hai..." Aiba said as he let Kimeru's hand guide his own.

Yuki - who had found what she was looking for - looked around and saw this certain scene. _'I bet their fans would pay a lot to see this...'_ she thought with a grin, watching for a while before approaching them. "Thank you, Aiba-kun. I can take it from here," she said with a smile.

Aiba nodded as he and Kimeru stepped back to begin setting the table.

-break-

"You look like you got into a fight recently, Takigawa-kun," Okiayu pointed out. "It's quite obvious with those bandages on your cheeks," he added.

Takigawa nodded. "I apologize for my appearance, then," he said.

Okiayu waved it off. "No need to apologize."

"Ne, Okiayu-san," Shirota chimed in. "When we're all feeling better... That is, when Hiroki and I are out of our casts... Would it be alright if the four of us try dubbing Tezuka and Fuji?"

Okiayu chuckled. "That sounds like a marvelous idea, Shirota-kun. Come by anytime you like," he replied.

"Lunch is ready~" Yuki announced happily as she placed the curry rice on the table.

Kimeru was already holding a tray containing Shirota and Aiba's share of the food. "Here you go, Shirotan," Kimeru said as he set a small table up for the two.

Shirota nodded. "Arigatou, Kime-nii," he thanked.

Okiayu got to his feet and approached the table, smiling. "Someone's made a dish I like," he pointed out.

Takigawa also got to his feet but sank back onto the couch, aching. "Looks like my legs refuse to support my weight," he said dryly.

Kimeru chuckled as he heard this as he placed another tray on the table. "That's why I brought this here," he said before patting Takigawa on the head. "We'll take care of those stubborn legs of yours later," he said.

Takigawa nodded quietly. "Arigatou," he thanked before indulging himself in the curry rice.

Okiayu beamed. "My compliments to the chefs for preparing this wonderful dish," he said brightly.

Shirota raised a fist into the air. "I second it!" he said before continuing to down his food.

"Kaida-san was the one who proposed it since she knew that it was your favorite, Okiayu-san..." Kimeru said slyly.

Yuki blinked and turned away. "A-ha~ but it was Kimeru-kun and Aiba-kun who did everything. All I did was instruct them on what to do," she said.

Okiayu smiled over to his co-seiyuu and nodded. "Thank you for your hard work, Kaida-san," he said. "And of course, to Kimeru-kun and Aiba-kun as well," he added.

Yuki smiled at Okiayu before redirecting her attention to Kimeru before he could say anything. "So...Kimeru-kun, I heard you composed a song for Takigawa-kun," she said as she helped herself to some of the food.

_'Directing the spotlight on another...nice tactic,'_ Kimeru thought with a grin. "Hai, but it won't be released for the public until the end of this year, I'm afraid...but you could hear it if you like," he said.

"Kime-nii composed something for Eiji-nii?" Aiba asked as he looked back and forth between the two first cast Tezuka and Fuji.

This statement caused both Takigawa and Shirota to avert their attention to Kimeru, their food momentarily forgotten.

Okiayu brought his hands together, smiling fondly. "We'd love to hear it, Kimeru-kun."

Kimeru smiled before looking at Shirota. "In that case...can I borrow your guitar for a while, Shirotan?" he asked.

Shirota nodded. "Of course..." he said, smiling as he gestured to the instrument sitting on its stand.

Kimeru took the guitar and went back to his chair, his food placed on the coffee table for the time being.

"This song's title is_ **'All the Time'**_.

_'The sunset pouring in through the window shines on your tired sleeping form.__  
__The faint summer scent on the air melts into my memories._

_I want to show you that star, the one heading towards the town where I was born,__  
__A shooting star just for us._

_These clasped hands believe in eternity.__  
__Stay here with me and I'll whisper to you,__  
__The most important thing in the world.__  
__The future and the past won't change, ever._

_Never let go, believe in eternity.__  
__I'll whisper to you,__  
__You, my only, most precious person in the world.__  
__The past won't change, ever._

_Even over trivial things, we fought; my old memories are coming back.__  
__We were both just thinking too much, and our memories melt away._

_I want to show you that star, the one heading towards the town where I was born,__  
__A shooting star just for us._

_These clasped hands believe in eternity.__  
__Stay here with me and I'll hold you close,__  
__So the warmth of our clasped hands won't fade.__  
__The future and the past won't change, ever._

_Never let go, believe in eternity.__  
__I'll hold you close,__  
__I want to always protect the warmth of our clasped hands.__  
__The past won't change, ever._

_Never let go, believe in eternity.__  
__The past won't change, ever.'__"_

When the song ended, Shirota clapped loudly, along with the others. "Sugee~!" he cheered.

Takigawa smiled fondly, nodding to Kimeru. "Arigatou..." he said quietly, a tear streaming down his bandage-filled face before he chuckled. "Hontou..."

Aiba clapped along with Shirota. "That was great Kime-nii!" he said.

Kimeru smiled as he placed the guitar back on the stand before he walked up to Takigawa to kiss him on the cheek. "I'm the one who should thank you for being my inspiration up until now..." he said before stepping back a bit. "Now I've fulfilled my promise back in Senior High, ne?" he added before going back to his seat to finish his lunch.

Takigawa nodded. "I'm deeply honored, then," he said, watching Kimeru returning to the dining table, a smile on his face as he wiped off his tears.

Shirota grinned. "So you had him write a song, Eiji-nii?" he inquired.

Takigawa nodded. "Way back in Senior High..."

Aiba chuckled. "That was some promise..." he said with a smile.

-break-

Yuki smiled at Kimeru and patted him on the head as he came back. "You changed, haven't you?" she said.

"What do you mean?" Kimeru asked.

"You're more calm, compared to when we first worked with you... not to mention more level headed, right Okiayu-san?" she said.

Okiayu grinned. "Aa," he agreed, looking over to Takigawa, who was finishing the last of his curry rice. "Something about him changed you, Kimeru-kun?" he inquired, jerking his head Takigawa's way.

Kimeru grinned. "You could say that..." he said with a nod.

Yuki smiled. "It's a good change, Kime...I'm happy for you."

Kimeru looked at her, "Don't worry, Yuki...you'll find _someone_ special...someday," he said.

-break-

Shirota, upon finishing his last serving of the rice, moved the table away before heaving a sigh of relief. "That was good, that was good," he said in satisfaction.

Takigawa smiled. "You appreciate anybody's cooking, Shiropon," he teased.

-break-

"That's right Yuu..." Aiba said with a grin as he finished his own food.

After they had all finished, Kimeru went to take care of the dishes before anybody could say otherwise.

"Is Kimeru always like that?" Okiayu inquired, chuckling as he stepped into the living room, looking over to Takigawa.

Takigawa nodded. "Always insists on doing the dishes," he explained.

Aiba thought about it for a moment. "Now that I think about it...Eiji-nii's right...Kimeru-senpai does always insist in doing the dishes…" he said.

Takigawa chuckled. "That's why I try to head him off sometimes," he said. "I suppose that's because he's always been doing it back when we were in Senior High... Since I almost always insisted on cooking, he would insist on taking care of the dishes so that he could shoulder some of the chores."

"Oh yeah...you two have been living together until college and went separate ways for a while after you graduated..." Aiba said. "But that was only...a few years of separation, ne?" he asked.

Takigawa nodded. "Though during that gap, I believe something happened... Since I didn't recall anything about school until recently... I just found myself as a fan of Kimeru's until I re-met him and everybody during our TeniMyu days back in 2003..." he said, furrowing his brows in thought.

"Me too...I only remembered it when Kime-nii mentioned the name of the school," Aiba admitted.

"Maybe you were just busy with all of your projects, after all the professions the four of you chose weren't really something light in terms of workload," Yuki commented.

Shirota nodded. "I suppose that would be the case..." Shirota agreed. "It wasn't as if any of us got into an accident and lost our memories of the past until the mention of it back in Hokkaido, ne?" he asked.

Takigawa's eyes twitched at Shirota's words. "Shirotan..."

Shirota turned to Takigawa. "Ah, gomen!" he said, apologizing quickly, realizing what he had just said.

Aiba chuckled as he patted Shirota on the shoulder. "It's fine...at least in the end we all remembered the past and all ends well," he said.

Kimeru re-joined the group. "Dishes are done," he said happily.

Takigawa nodded before turning to Kimeru.

Okiayu looked around. "I've been meaning to ask, though you don't need to if you feel uncomfortable..." He looked over to Shirota and Aiba. "What... exactly happened... that 'accident'?"

Aiba looked at Shirota before sighing. "I guess we can tell them..." he said.

Shirota nodded ruefully. "If you would really like to know..." he started, looking over to the Tezuka seiyuu. "But before anything, this incident is not to be blamed on anyone... except..." he trailed off, jerking his head to Kimeru. "Kime-nii, I need to ask you something!"

"What is it, Shirotan?" Kimeru asked as he looked at him.

"Back when we were in the hospital... Who came to visit?" Shirota inquired. "You said something about it being their fault..."

Takigawa frowned. _'I'm surprised he's forgotten so quickly...'_

Kimeru frowned. "Oh...That..." he muttered. "It was Marina-san...I'm surprised that you forgot about it," he said.

Aiba glared at the wall when he heard the name.

Shirota's eye twitched at hearing the name. "So it was _her _fault?" he declared.

Takigawa sighed, nodding. "Aa. Not intentionally, though..."

Kimeru looked at the group. "She called up some people to get them to kidnap her so that Shirotan can save her and proclaim undying love for her..." he said flatly. "Unfortunately, the people she called were yakuza..."

"By the time she realized it, you and Aiba were already taken away..." Takigawa continued. "The rest, of course..." he turned to Shirota and Aiba. "Would be on your account..."

Aiba frowned. "I was abducted on the way home from the grocery...they knocked me out with something and when I came to I was in some sort of a storage room..." he said.

"I was in a bad mood waiting for Hiroki to get home..." Shirota explained. "Marina-chan visited at one point but I wasn't really in the mood, so I asked her to leave... Not long after, these guys came and knocked me out as well... And when I came to I found myself in that same room with Hiroki..."

"And then what happened?" Yuki asked, subconsciously gripping the armrest of the chair she was on.

Aiba sighed. "What basically happened was we were both scared out of our wits...me more than him," he said as he gestured to Shirota. "But nothing happened until morning when we were rudely woken up by these guys that dragged us to another room."

Okiayu frowned. "That was when..." he trailed off, gesturing to their casts.

Shirota nodded. "The yakuza can be... extreme when they would want to. Their boss was the father of Minami Keisuke, the third Tezuka actor for TeniMyu," he explained. "But then it all turned out to be a big misunderstanding on the father's part..."

"Aa...a big misunderstanding indeed. A misunderstanding that made me...almost leave Yuu..." Aiba said trailing off. "...but in the end I guess it sort of came out fine," he added quickly.

Shirota smiled softly, nodding. "Yeah, that incident managed to strengthen our bonds together somehow," he reassured the group. "But I'm going to have to talk with Marina-chan when I get out of this cast..." he added, muttering to himself.

Aiba frowned. "I don't think I even want to see her anymore..." he said darkly.

Kimeru sighed. "That much is understandable..." he muttered.

Shirota nodded. "I can do that myself, then... Just so everything will be cleared up already and we have no more grudges..." he explained.

Aiba sighed. "There's no way I'm letting you go to her alone. I'm going to go with you..." he said as he looked at Shirota.

"I thought you just said you didn't want to see her again?" Shirota asked, confused.

Okiayu chuckled at this little bickering going on between the two.

"Yes I don't want to see her but I don't like the idea of you going on your own to see her either!" Aiba argued.

Kimeru looked at the two and grinned. "You two..." he said as he shook his head, Yuki giggled as she watched and waited for the outcome of the conversation.

"What's wrong with me going alone to see her?" Shirota debated. "At least that way you don't have to trouble yourself with seeing her and we can end this long-standing accusation once and for all!"

"Because I'm afraid that she's going to try something and I don't want you to get hurt!" Aiba snapped.

"Oi, Aibacchin...easy..." Kimeru said.

"I'm not going to get hurt from going to see her!" Shirota fired back. "I wouldn't put it past her to do any more damage than she already has!"

"Shirotan!" Takigawa exclaimed, sitting up abruptly before wincing in pain.

"You don't know what else she can do!" Aiba said as he glared at Shirota. "Look what happened to us! We didn't see it coming either!"

"Aiba!" Kimeru said as he stood up.

"What's wrong in letting me coming with you to talk to her? I'm already saying that I'll do it even if I don't want to!" Aiba continued

"Because I don't want to hear the two of you blaming each other for anything!" Shirota replied angrily. "There's already been enough tension between you two before, and I don't want to hear anymore of it!"

"And when did I say that I'll just start blaming her again even if I well know that it's her fault!" Aiba said as he stood up. "I'm not that uncivilized that I'll start blaming her once I see her! Why can't you see that I'm just worried about you because in case you haven't realized, because of her I thought that I would have to lose you forever!"

"If _you_ haven't noticed, whenever the two of you confront each other, you end up being led on by her words... Words that is pointless because you and I are already together... Nothing she says now will make me change my mind about us..." Shirota muttered.

"Yes she won't change your mind but that doesn't necessarily mean that she won't try anything…" Aiba reasoned out, his voice less loud than before.

"You're implying that you don't trust me..." Shirota accused.

"No. I'm implying that I don't trust _her,_" Aiba answered with a frown.

Shirota rubbed the back of his neck in irritation. "You don't have to force yourself to do something against your will, Hiroki..." he said.

"If I was forcing myself to go I wouldn't have suggested it in the first place," Aiba said, looking away.

"You're saying you want to go with me even if you don't want to since you don't want anything bad to happen to me, right?" Shirota inquired. "That's technically forcing yourself, Hiroki," he pointed out.

Aiba sighed heavily. "Fine, I'm forcing myself to go," he said. "But I'd rather force myself to go than let anything happen to you," he reasoned.

Shirota shrugged. "I appreciate the gesture, but-"

"There's nothing wrong if he came along, is there Shirota?" Takigawa interjected, lying himself back down on the couch.

"Let me finish, Eiji-nii..." Shirota continued, looking over to Aiba. "I really, _really_ don't want you to have to hear anything she might say towards you..."

"Believe me, I'm ready to hear whatever she dishes out and I know that I can control myself this time around unless it is absolutely necessary for me to speak out," Aiba said as he sat back down. "Yuu...I'll beg if I have to but I'm not letting you see her without me."

Shirota sighed. "Fine, you win..." he muttered.

Takigawa chuckled. "That took a while..." he stated.

Kimeru grinned. "That was an interesting episode of your relationship," he told the two.

Shirota leaned back on the couch, folding his arms across his chest, exhaling. "And we just wasted our breath only to end up with me finally agreeing..." he said.

"I understand where you're coming from, though..." Takigawa offered.

Aiba suddenly stood up and bowed to them. "Please excuse me, I'll just be upstairs," he said before leaving the room.

"Aibacchin..." Kimeru said before sighing. "I'll talk to him, I'm really sorry about this, Kaida-san, Okiayu-san," he said before bowing and following Aiba upstairs.

Yuki shook her head. "No, it's okay," she said.

Shirota nodded to the seiyuus. "I'm sorry for the trouble," he apologized.

Okiayu shook his head. "No, it's alright. I apologize for having you bring the topic up..." he said.

-break-

Kimeru knocked on the door of Shirota and Aiba's room. "Aibacchin...let me in…" he said.

"Please leave me alone for a while, Kime-nii…" Aiba said from inside.

"Aibacchin..."Kimeru tried again. This time he heard the door being unlocked. He turned the knob and went inside as he saw Aiba sitting on the bed. "Talk to me Aiba..." Kimeru said as he closed the door behind him and joined Aiba on the bed.

-break-

"I don't mind it, Okiayu-san... It's just that... A few bad memories were forged from that experience... That hurt both me and Hiroki..." Shirota explained.

Yuki nodded in understanding. "Based on your reactions earlier, I'm guessing that this is the first time that you two had an argument like that," she said. "…But you know, Shirota-kun…Aiba-kun really is just worried about you. That's what caused him to say those things."

"Still..." Shirota scratched his head in frustration. "I'm worried for him as well..." he explained. "If anything, I wanted them to avoid having another confrontation... So that Hiroki doesn't need to hear anymore nonsense about how I should be living my life from Marina-chan... How I don't deserve him..." Shirota paused for a moment before he continued. "I know deep down... He himself knows that all that stuff is pointless... but it manages to get to him either way..."

Yuki smiled. "I think I get it now..." she said. "Aiba-kun...he has been through a lot with you, right? This certain issue about Marina-san...it's getting to him because he knows it's something he can't really do anything about. Can't you see Shirota-kun? He's trying to prove something to you and to himself as well."

Shirota nodded slowly. "I suppose you're right, Yuki-san," he said, smiling. "Then if that's the case, I should give him the opportunity to do it, right?"

Takigawa slowly pushed himself up. "Never forget that there are two people in a relationship, Shirotan..." he said quietly. "Both people contribute something to the relationship that makes it last for a long time..."

Shirota chuckled. "Hai, hai..."

Yuki looked at Shirota and smiled widely. "Now that we have that cleared up..." she trailed off as she looked at the stairs. "I wonder how they're doing."

-break-

Aiba sighed as he finished telling Kimeru the reasons why he acted that way. The J-Pop artist patted him on the back. "Then why didn't you just say so?" he asked.

"That would be because I couldn't put it into words earlier…" Aiba admitted.

-break-

"And shouldn't you be lying down, Takigawa-kun?" Okiayu said, looking over to the first Tezuka actor who sat himself up from the couch.

"It's fine..." Takigawa replied. "I just need to attend to something in the kitchen..." he said as he pushed himself to his feet.

"Oi, Eiji-nii..." Shirota started with a frown. "Don't strain yourself..."

"If you need to get something, I can get it for you," Okiayu offered.

Finding that his legs were able to support him this time, Takigawa shook his head. "No, it's alright. I'd prefer doing it myself..." With that, he made his way to the kitchen.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about letting him go..?" Shirota asked out loud.

Kimeru smiled as he and Aiba went back downstairs. "We're back~" he announced.

Aiba nodded behind him. "Aa...sorry about that..." he said before going back to his place beside Shirota.

Kimeru made a mental head-count. "Where's Eiji?" he asked uneasily as he looked at the group.

-break-

Upon reaching the kitchen, the first Tezuka actor retrieved a glass and was going to get himself something to drink from the dispenser. Just as he was about to drink, he felt delirous as he dropped the glass as it shattered to pieces on the ground and stumbled forward, managing to set his hands on the counter as he started panting slowly. _'What is... everything's gotten all blurry all of a sudden... Can't...'_

-break-

Shirota pointed to the kitchen. "He said he needed to attend to something in the-" He was cut off when they heard a glass break before a loud thud hit the floor. He looked over to the direction of the kitchen. "Eiji-nii!" he shouted.

Kimeru's eyes widened when he heard the glass shatter, he immediately turned around and ran to the kitchen and saw Takigawa sway dangerously. "EIJI!" He exclaimed as he dashed forward, managing to catch Takigawa but fell to his knees, accidentally kneeling on some broken glass in the process. He winced a bit but didn't take notice of it. "AIBA! CALL AN AMBULANCE!" he yelled as he tried to support Takigawa's weight to take him out of the kitchen. _'Damn it, he's feverish!'_ he taught in panic.

Aiba, who heard Kimeru's panicked order, pulled out his phone and immediately dialed the emergency number.

A few minutes later the ambulance came.

After saying a hurried apology to the two seiyuus Kimeru went with the paramedics to the hospital. Yuki had volunteered to accompany Kimeru, which the singer was immensely grateful for, and had left Okiayu to stay behind with the two second generation actors.

Pearl's barks were still heard as the siren of the ambulance slowly began to pull away.

Shirota punched the pillow. "I knew we should've stopped him from going..." he muttered. "I just hope it's nothing serious..."

"I hope so too..." Aiba said as he looked out the window. "That's the first time I saw Kime-nii panic..."

-break-

Kimeru buried his face in his hands as he sat down beside the stretcher. Yuki was rubbing comforting circles on his back. They were brought to the ER and were asked to wait in the waiting area. Kimeru took a deep intake of breath as he sat down. "Eiji..." he whispered helplessly as he fisted his palms.

-break-

"Yuki-san's with him," Okiayu offered. "I'm sure she'll be able to help Kimeru handle the situation..."

Aiba sighed. "That's true...the only thing we can do now is to wait for news..." he said before standing up. "I'll go clean up the glass in the kitchen," he said.

-break-

The doctors made a thorough examination before one of them emerged from the ER 15 minutes later, walking up to Kimeru and Yuki.

"You must be the companions of Takigawa Eiji-san? I'm Dr. Asami," she introduced. "I've requested that Takigawa-san be wheeled to a room at the moment. Shall I explain the situation here or would you like to transfer to his room?" she asked politely.

"I'd like to see Eiji first..." Kimeru said weakly.

As they were led to the room, Yuki noticed something wrong in the way Kimeru was walking. Her attention was brought to the singer's knees. "Kime! You're bleeding!" she said.

Kimeru looked down before continuing to walk. "I'm fine..." he said as he entered the room where Takigawa was.

Dr. Asami turned to see Kimeru's knees bleeding as they arrived at the room. "Sit down for a minute, please. I'd like to treat this first if that's alright with you," she insisted before moving to retrieve a first aid kit in the room cabinet. After attending to Kimeru's injury, she straightened and looked over to Takigawa, who was sleeping soundly on the bed.

"He's running really low on fatigue," she began. "I suspect that came from sustaining all those bruises. Plus he's caught himself a slight fever, though it's nothing an intake of fluids and a lot of bed rest shouldn't cure," she reassured them as she consulted her notes.

Kimeru nodded as the doctor told them Takigawa's condition, "Aa… Arigatou, sensei…" he said.

Yuki smiled at the doctor. "Thank goodness that it isn't anything serious…" she said in relief.

After thanking the doctor once more before she left, Kimeru stood up from the chair and went over to Takigawa. "Baka Eiji...I told you not to to get out of bed..." he said quietly as he placed his hand over Takigawa's.

Yuki smiled at him. "At least we know that everything is going to be fine, Kimeru...now I should go and tell Okiayu-san what the doctor said," she said and Kimeru nodded at her.

Takigawa stirred slightly, grasping Kimeru's hand gingerly. "G...Gomen..." he whispered hoarsely, his throat a bit dry as he slowly opened his eyes, tilting his head to look over to Kimeru. "Gomen ne, Kime-kun..."

Kimeru felt tears cloud his vision before he used the sleeve of his shirt to wipe them away. "It's alright Eiji...just focus on recovering right now okay..." he said softly. "...and please don't scare me like that…"

Yuki heard this and looked at the two before quietly slipping out of the room.

Takigawa gave a weak nod before closing his eyes again.

Kimeru smiled softly as he let go of Takigawa's hand to get a chair to place near his bed. He sighed as he sat down.

-break-

Shirota was playing with Tezuka for a while before stating, "At this rate, Tuti-senpai and Nagayan-senpai will probably come over again if Eiji-nii has to stay in the hospital, na?"

Aiba nodded. "Aa...we'll be able to see Tuti-senpai reveal more of his culinary skills," he said with a grin.

Okiayu pulled out his phone when he received Yuki's text. "Everything will be alright," he announced. "Takigawa-kun's lacking fatigue and is sporting a fever, but he just needs to rest and take lots of fluids," he explained, reading the message before turning to the two. "I suppose Kimeru-kun will inform you about his plans for tonight later on."

Shirota nodded. "Arigatou, Okiayu-san."

-break-

Kimeru watched Takigawa as he rested on the bed, his hand stroking the man's hair.

"Kimeru-kun?" Yuki said as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know that you want to stay here to watch over him. Is there anything you would want me to tell the boys?" she asked.

Kimeru thought for a moment before looking at her. "Hai, please tell Aiba-kun to call Nagayan to keep them company for a while," he said.

Yuki nodded in understanding. "I'll tell him. Take care of yourself, Kimeru...I'll see you," she said before leaving.

"Aa… Arigatou…"

-break-

"I bet Tuti-senpai will just be exclaiming 'Parque Espana' again once he arrives..." Shirota chuckled. "Like the first time he did before," he said, looking over to Aiba.

Aiba chuckled. "That is a pretty big possibility... It's funny when he does that," he said.

Shirota nodded in agreement before Pearl ran up to him and jumped onto his lap. "Ah, you're wearing that outfit I got for you!" he exclaimed happily as he saw Pearl sporting the Seigaku jersey.

Aiba looked at Pearl and smiled. "Cute isn't she..." he said with a smile. "And I do hope that once Fuji gets better we'd be able to use the accessories that Takigawa-senpai gave us."

Shirota nodded. "Aa!" he agreed before petting Pearl, who decided to take a nap on Shirota's lap.

Aiba's gaze went over to the cage to check on Fuji again. "Well...at least she's eating..." he said.

Okiayu rose to his feet. "Yuki-san said that she's on her way back here. I just got her text," he announced. "I'll just be getting myself a glass of water. Excuse me," he bowed and moved to the kitchen.

Aiba nodded at Okiayu as he left for the kitchen. "Saa...Kime-nii was right after all about making Eiji-nii stay in bed for a while," he said with a chuckle.

"But Eiji-nii tends to be stubborn in that department... He's always used to doing _something_ around the house he feels that it doesn't suit him to just stay put in one place..." Shirota replied with a sigh. "At least now he can have a little break and rest up properly..."

Aiba nodded. "That's true, but still...I worry about Kime-nii as well. Did you see his expression earlier?" he asked.

Shirota nodded. "I don't want him to think about blaming himself again for what's happened..." he muttered.

"Knowing Kime-nii...he most probably will," Aiba said. He looked away for a moment. "Uhm...Yuu? About earlier...I'm sorry I snapped at you," he said.

Shirota managed a smile and looked over to him. "It's fine. I apologize as well for not understanding sooner," he said.

Okiayu returned from the kitchen and paused to look at the two. "Did I miss something?"

Aiba looked at the Tezuka seiyuu and smiled. "Nothing much, Okiayu-san," he said.

Shirota looked around for Tezuka, who had gone from his shoulder. "Eh? Where'd the little captain go off to?" he inquired.

Aiba looked around as well. "He was just here a while ago...Tezuka?" he called out. "Tezuka!"

-break-

Yuki stopped for a minute at a certain store to look at something. "Hmm...Since Okiayu-san and I are already there for a while..." she thought out loud before smiling. "It's the least we can do for Kimeru-kun…"

-break-

"Pearl..." Shirota said, shaking the Yorkshire terrier awake. "Can you help us look for Tezuka?" he inquired as she barked, jumped down to the floor and began sniffing around.

Aiba frowned. "Of all the times for him to go missing..." he muttered as he continued looking around.

Pearl was barking somewhere near the laundry room, calling their attention. Shirota looked over to him. "Is here near there, Pearl?" he inquired hopefully.

Aiba stood up and went over to the laundry room. "AHA!" he exclaimed as he saw Tezuka by the corner of the room. "Look at you…you got yourself wet..." he said as he picked up the guinea pig.

After managing to dry Tezuka using a small towel from the kitchen he handed him back to Shirota. "His looks much cleaner now, though…" he said with a chuckle.

"Wonder why he decided to go to the laundry room..." Shirota wondered out loud as he took Tezuka and watched the guinea pig scurry up to his usual place on Shirota's shoulder.

"Maybe he was just thinking and his feet led him there," Aiba said with a shrug.

A few more minutes later there was a knock on the door. Aiba opened it and smiled as he saw that it was Yuki.

"I'm back~" she said with a smile as she entered the living room, carrying some things.

Okiayu stood and offered to help her with the things. "What'd you go out and buy?" he inquired.

"Dinner~" Yuki said as she allowed Okiayu to assist her. "Kimeru-kun wanted to stay at the hospital with Takigawa-kun and he told me to ask Aiba-kun to ask Nagayan-kun and Tsuchiya-kun to come over to look after them," she explained. "So…I bought dinner for the four of us so that we wouldn't have to ask them to worry too much," she added. "But if you have anything to do, Okiayu-san I won't force you to stay."

Okiayu shook his head. "No, it's alright. I can stay," he said, nodding over to Yuki. "I'm not in any rush to go anywhere today. I believe you and I both cleared our schedule for this visit?" he teased.

Shirota beamed. "Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Yuki-san," he thanked.

Yuki smiled at them. "It's no problem. It's the least I could do."

Aiba blinked as he watched Yuki talk to Okiayu for a while, he turned to Shirota and whispered in his ear. "Is it just me or do you notice something in the way Kaida-san moves around Okiayu-san?" he asked.

Shirota took a double take at the two seiyuus before nodding. "Aa..." He turned to Aiba, grinning.

Aiba chuckled. "I guess it's the ol' TezukaFuji syndrome..." he said with a smile as he turned his attention to the two seiyuus again.

Shirota nodded. "It just might be," he agreed.

After Yuki and Okiayu rejoined the two in the living room, Aiba noticed that Momo and Echizen had once again escaped from their temporary cage and had scurried towards where the two seiyuus were.

Shirota noticed this as well and chuckled. "It looks like they know who you two are," he said.

Yuki smiled as she picked the two guinea pigs up and they immediately went to her shoulder to nuzzle her neck. "Hey, that tickles~" she said before she started giggling.

Aiba smiled. "They like doing that..." he said as he watched the two. Momo hopped off Yuki's shoulder and went over to Okiayu's lap, looking at the man for a while as if deciding what to do.

Okiayu chuckled. "Doushita, Momoshiro?" he inquired, using his Tezuka voice.

Shirota applauded. "Sugoi~" he said as Tezuka nuzzled him in the neck at this point, causing Shirota to laugh. "Kora Tezuka~" he pleaded.

Aiba looked at Shirota and grabbed Tezuka off his shoulder. "Tezuka...didn't we tell you that you're not allowed to tickle Yuu yet?" he scolded.

Momo squeaked before running back up to Yuki's shoulder. Yuki smiled and looked at Okiayu. "Saa...you scared him, Tezuka," she said using Fuji's voice.

Okiayu shrugged. "Did I..?" he replied bluntly in pure Tezuka fashion, still adapting Tezuka's voice to their conversation.

Shirota heaved a sigh as he looked over to the guinea pig in Aiba's hand. "It's fine, Hiroki. My ribs are fine..." he reassured him.

Yuki nodded. "Look at him, he's now snuggling to Echizen..." she replied in Fuji's voice.

Aiba blinked when he heard this. _'Coming from Fuji...that sounded wrong...'_ he thought.

Okiayu cleared his throat. "Yuki-san, we just announced a Momoshiro-Echizen pair," he said in his regular voice.

"Hiroki, give Tezuka back!~" Shirota said, outstretching his hand out for the guinea pig.

Yuki blinked a few times before bursting out in laughter. "We did, didn't we?" she said in amusement, also using her regular voice.

Aiba looked at Shirota before remembering that he was still holding Tezuka. "Here you go..." he said as he gave Shirota their pet.

Okiayu burst out laughing at this point as Shirota took hold of Tezuka and gently stroked him with his fingers.

"This sort of reminds me of a fanfiction I read almost a month ago..." Aiba said with a grin.

"What fanfiction was that?" Yuki asked him. "I don't really remember but it was something along the lines of Fuji confessing to Tezuka," he said.

Yuki chuckled. "Like this?" she asked before clearing her throat. "Ne Tezuka...Have I ever told you that I have liked you since first year?" she asked Okiayu in her Fuji voice.

Disoriented for a moment Okiayu blinked before replying in his Tezuka voice, "No... But why did you wait two years to tell me that?"

Yuki chuckled, still using Fuji's voice she replied, "Because I know that you want to concentrate on tennis and wouldn't want things like these to distract you."

_'Indirect confession...she's smart...'_ Aiba thought in amusement.

"Whoever said that you would be a distraction, Fuji?" Okiayu inquired in his Tezuka voice.

Shirota blinked. _'I can't tell with him if he's making a double meaning with playing along with this conversation or if he realizes the hidden confessions...'_ he thought to himself, looking over to the Tezuka seiyuu.

Yuki smiled a smile similar to Fuji's. "Based on what you tell us all the time, that's what anyone would assume," she said in Fuji's voice. "After all, Tezuka...tennis is your number one priority, isn't it?"

_'Now this is getting interesting…'_ Aiba thought. _'Just like listening to RajiPuri...'_

"Until I met you, it was..." Okiayu replied in Tezuka's voice. "Tennis will always be a priority, but there other things to prioritize from time to time..."

"Until you met me?" Yuki asked in Fuji's voice. "What do you mean by that, Tezuka?"

"You could say that I'm feeling the same way... towards you..." Okiayu said, hesitating for a moment while using Tezuka's voice still. "I will honestly admit that I let my guard down around you... But I don't regret it."

_'I can't tell if they're doing this as the characters or what...'_ Aiba thought as he watched the two.

Yuki smiled. "Saa...then let's try this again shall we..." she said in Fuji's voice. "I like you...Okiayu-san," she finished, this time with her normal voice.

A smile crept up Okiayu's face, his voice returning to normal as he replied, "And I've always liked you, Yuki-san."

Shirota beamed at this development. _'Hontou ni sugoi da...'_ he thought happily to himself.

Aiba smiled widely as he watched on. _'Sugee...the power of Tezuka and Fuji sure brings people together,'_ he thought happily.

Yuki looked away in embarrassment, "That's funny...I never imagined that I'd tell you this way..." she said, the smile still present on her lips.

Okiayu chuckled. "I'm glad you did, Yuki-san... The atmosphere seemed just perfect..." he complimented before turning to Aiba, nodding. "Arigatou, Aiba-kun."

Aiba smiled at them. "No need to thank me, I really didn't do anything," he said.

Yuki chuckled. "Silly...you were the one who gave me the idea of doing it this way when you mentioned that fanfiction."

Okiayu and Shirota both nodded to this statement.

Aiba blinked as he looked at the three. "Er...okay then...well. In any case, I'm happy for you, Kaida-san, Okiayu-san," he said.

Okiayu nodded.

Shirota grinned. "I was rooting for you guys!" he said before Tezuka managed to nuzzle him enough to burst him into laughter once more. "OKAY, OKAY, I GET IT!" he shouted in between his laughs.

Yuki giggled as he watched Tezuka be affectionate to Shirota once again.

"Get what?" Aiba asked in confusion.

Shirota managed to take Tezuka off him. "He wants to go to Fuji," he said, holding Tezuka out to Aiba. "Apparently he's jealous," he explained.

Okiayu looked over to Yuki. "I believe it's about time we broke for dinner, Yuki-san?" he suggested.

_'Tezuka people...they have their own language...'_ Aiba thought as he nodded. "I guess it wouldn't hurt if we let him stay with her for a while," he said as he placed Tezuka in the cage with Fuji. Tezuka, disoriented by the movement, stood still for a moment before snuggling next to Fuji.

Yuki looked at the time and nodded. "Aa...we should," she said in agreement. "And Okiayu-san...just call me Kaida."

Okiayu rose to his feet. "As long as you stop referring to me so formally," he said. "I have a first name as well, you know," he teased before moving to retrieve Yuki's purchases.

Yuki smiled. "Sure...but I hope you don't mind me calling you Ryou since your name is long," she said as she brought out the pasta and placed it on the tray before going to the kitchen to get them something to wash down the meal afterwards.

-break-

Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Takigawa woke up once more, disoriented for a moment on where he was laid out. Remembering that he was in the hospital, he looked around slowly before stopping his search when he saw Kimeru at his bedside, sleeping peacefully. He smiled softly as he brought a hand up and stroked Kimeru's hair in silence. _'Gomen... I caused you so much trouble today...'_ he mentally apologized. _'But I'm glad you're here...'_

Kimeru, feeling the movement of Takigawa's hand, stirred. "E-Eiji?" he said as he blinked himself awake. He smiled when he saw Takigawa. "How are you feeling? Do you want anything?" he asked.

Takigawa nodded. "I'm feeling alright..." he replied. "And a glass of water would be nice..." he added.

Kimeru nodded. "Alright...give me a sec..." he said before standing up to get some water from the water dispenser. He returned moments later with a cup of water. He placed it on the side table for a while so that he could assist Takigwa to sit up. "Here..." he said as he handed him the water.

Takigawa nodded. "Arigatou..." he replied before taking the cup with both hands and drank the entire cup of water in an instant. He handed the cup back. "That helped a bit," he said, clearing his throat before smiling over to Kimeru. "But I still feel rather light-headed..."

"That's to be expected...you did faint after all," Kimeru explained before placing the plastic cup on the table. "The doctor came by earlier and said that there's a chance that you'll be discharged tomorrow," he said with a smile.

Takigawa lied himself back down gently, minding his bruises. "I'm glad to hear that..." he said quietly as he brought an arm to his forehead, closing his eyes. "I don't really enjoy being in hospitals..." he muttered.

Kimeru chuckled. "I know..." he said. "So you better get some more rest."

Takigawa shivered for a moment. "Is it cold in here..?" he asked, lowering his arm to his side.

"No it's not...you have a fever, Eiji…that's why you feel cold," Kimeru explained. "The air-conditioner is already on fan mode…" He thought for a moment before smiling. "Would you want me to help keep you warm, Eiji?" he asked.

"Does that include you coming onto the bed?" Takigawa inquired, cracking an eye open to look over to Kimeru.

Kimeru chuckled. "Only if you want me to, Eiji...only if you want me to," he said.

Takigawa smiled, closing his eyes before shaking his head. "It's alright... I can wait until we get back..." he replied.

Kimeru nodded. "No problem...now go and get some more sleep so that you'll feel better in the morning," he said.

Takigawa nodded wordlessly, taking hold of Kimeru's hand before shifting himself for a moment before drifting off to sleep.

Kimeru smiled as he watched Takigawa sleep before lying his head on the bed, and fell asleep a few moments later as well.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

We look forward to your reviews and possible suggestions. :)


	15. Getting Better

**Title:** Anything for You

**Author/Artist:** snooperj & Bloodysamurai

**Series/Pairing(s):** TeniMyu; Mainly Takigawa Eiji x Kimeru & Shirota Yuu x Aiba Hiroki

**Notes:** Here is the 15th chapter entitled **Getting Better**. The following day, Takigawa is discharged from the hospital with Kimeru's influence, returning to Shirota and Aiba's place. Takigawa is sent straight up to the room upon their arrival, causing him to be bedridden during the rest of his recovery. Tuti and Nagayan continue to help out around the house. Nagayan manages to persuade Kimeru to spending some time away from waiting on Takigawa, giving the J-Pop singer time to spend with Shirota and Aiba.

A week later, Takigawa feels better and the foursome is left to themselves once more, creating an interesting day full of good food and little moments to themselves. This chapter details the events of January 15, 16 and 23, 2007.

**ALSO! None of the authors of this roleplay/fanfic own TeniMyu or the actors, but are mere fangirls of the musical series and corresponding actors we write about. Everything that progresses in the story is the creation of our witty imaginations.

* * *

+++January 15, 2007+++

The next day, Aiba woke up and headed downstairs to make breakfast. _'If I did it before I can do it again!'_ he proclaimed in his mind.

Kaida Yuki and Okiayu Ryoutarou had left when Nagayan and Tuti arrived the previous evening. The two seiyuus promised that they would visit again and reminded them about their little voice acting offer.

"And what do you think you're doing?"

Aiba froze when he heard a voice speak up. "N-Nagayama-senpai..." he said before turning around to face the first cast Eiji actor.

"Let go of the pan Aibacchi..." Nagayan said.

-break-

Kimeru was taking care of the billing early in the morning since the doctor had said that Takigawa could already be discharged. After a few minutes of talking to some people, he went back to Takigawa's room only to find him still asleep.

Takigawa stirred a few minutes after Kimeru had re-entered the room as he blinked away the last of his sleep and rubbed his eyes. "Morning..." he muttered to himself before he spotted Kimeru, nodding to him.

Kimeru smiled. "Good morning, Eiji… You're going to be discharged in a while. I already took care of everything," he said.

Takigawa nodded. "Arigatou, Kime..." he said with a smile before he closed his eyes. "I'd imagine Shirotan's still asleep at this time..." he intoned randomly before chuckling.

Kimeru looked at the clock and nodded. "Aa...but I'm guessing that Aibacchi is already up," he said with a smile.

Takigawa nodded. "Probably trying to sneak down and make breakfast?" he guessed, recalling the morning of Shirota's birthday.

Kimeru grinned. "That's true..." he said. "Then again, if Nagayan spots him attempting to do that he would be in trouble."

"Would you know what time I can leave?" Takigawa inquired.

-break-

Four plushies were scattered on their bed - a Tezuka, Fuji, Shirota and Aiba plushie. Shirota shifted on the bed, his hand outstretched to locate one before pulling it close - it was his plushie counterpart. "Hiroki..." he mumbled, reaching another hand out to the other side of the bed that was empty of the second Fuji actor. Sleepily, Shirota pushed himself up on his elbows. "Hiroki..?" he inquired, looking around for a moment before plopping back down and returning to sleep.

-break-

"But senpai...I did it before..." Aiba reasoned, still holding onto the pan.

"No buts, Aibacchi...I will not risk Kime killing me when he discovers that you've been doing things that might strain you even more."

Aiba sighed as he handed the pan over. "Hai..." he said.

-break-

"At around 10," Kimeru answered. "Tuti will pick us up."

"Looks like I have nearly 2 hours to catch another nap, na?" Takigawa said before stretching his hand out.

Kimeru chuckled. "You go ahead and do that," he said.

"Kimeru..." Takigawa called. "I need your hand for a second..." he called, his hand still outstretched.

"Huh? What for?" Kimeru asked, but he still reached out to place his hand on Takigawa's.

Takigawa took Kimeru's hand and pulled it towards him, kissing the back of his hand. "Arigatou..." he said quietly. "It's selfish of me to say this, but I want to hold your hand like this for a while..." he explained. "I've missed doing it..."

Kimeru smiled. "I see no problem with that..." he said softly as he sat down on the chair beside Takigawa's bed.

-break-

Aiba went back to their room and sighed as he lied back down on the bed.

Shirota felt a weight settle beside him before he temporarily stirred with the Shirota plushie in his clutches. "Hiroki..." he muttered.

Aiba fought down a chuckle when he heard this. "I'm right here, Yuu…" he whispered before moving to kiss Shirota on the forehead.

Shirota smiled as he brought an arm out over Hiroki, settling back to sleep after muttering, "Good..."

Aiba chose to remain silent and snuggled closer to Shirota, all the time mindful about his broken arm. Soon enough he drifted back to sleep.

-break-

At 10 on the dot, Tuti arrived in the room after promptly knocking. "Kimeru, the car's ready," he announced quietly as he approached the J-Pop singer, seeing that Takigawa was still asleep.

Kimeru nodded. "Thanks Tuti," he said before gently shaking Takigawa awake. "Eiji...Eiji...come on wake up. We're going home to the kids," he said.

Takigawa's eyes opened at Kimeru shaking him before he slowly pushed himself up to sit down. "Aa..." he replied, nodding to both Kimeru and Tuti. "I'm ready to go..."

Kimeru smiled as helped Takigawa off the bed. "You do realize that I'll force you back on the bed once we get back, don't you?" he asked.

Tuti grinned before noticing something. "Oi Kime...what happened to your-" He was cut off by a glare from Kimeru.

Takigawa nodded over to Kimeru. "I won't complain anymore..." he said quietly, forcing a smile.

-break-

"Shirotan...Aibacchi...breakfast is ready...Get up..." Nagayan coaxed as he gently shook the two.

Aiba blinked. "Uhn...breakfast?" he asked sleepily.

Nagayan smiled. "Aa. I made pancakes," he said. "Chocolate pancakes."

Shirota's eyes shot open at the mention of 'chocolate' as he pushed himself up. "I want some!" he said brightly, grinning.

Aiba grinned. _'Looks like someone did his research...'_ he thought before sitting up. "Looks good, senpai..." he said as Nagayan set the bed table up.

Shirota nodded in agreement. "I can't wait to try it out," he said.

"Itadakimasu~" Aiba said before he started eating. Nagayan had cut his share of pancakes so that he wouldn't be troubled.

-break-

Kimeru chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll keep you company this time," he said.

Tuti nodded. "Aa. Nagayan and I will be coming and going for the rest of the week to help out."

"That's good to hear, Kime..." Takigawa said.

"Okay then, let's get you two back to Shirota and Aiba's place," Tuti said as he and Kimeru assisted Takigawa to the car.

-break-

After a few minutes, Takigawa, Kimeru and Tuti had arrived at Shirota and Aiba's place.

"I think that's them..." Nagayan said as he stood up from the couch. He, Shirota and Aiba were in the living room, watching TV to pass the time.

Shirota turned to the door as it opened. "Welcome back Eiji-nii! Kime-nii!" he greeted as Tuti entered with Takigawa.

Takigawa nodded to Shirota and Aiba with a small smile. "Glad to be back..." he said.

Aiba smiled. "Let me guess, you're going straight to bed..." he said.

Kimeru nodded as he closed the door behind him. "That's right. And he's going to stay there until I say otherwise."

"He's still sporting a fever, after all," Tuti said worriedly.

"I'll help you bring him upstairs," Nagayan offered.

Shirota frowned. "Make sure you stay in bed this time, Eiji-nii!" he said.

Takigawa chuckled. "I know that, Shirotan..." he called over his shoulder.

Kimeru followed the three upstairs and soon, Nagayan and Tuti went back to the living room. "The next few days will be interesting..." Nagayan said with a smile.

Aiba tilted his head to the side curiously. "Why is that?" he asked.

Nagayan smirked. "That would be because we would see firsthand how Kime changes from an Oishi to a Fuji."

"You could call it a mix of Fuji and Oishi, though..." Shirota offered. "Since Eiji-nii _is_ still Tezuka."

"That's true…" Nagayan said with a chuckle.

-break-

Kimeru had brought out some clothes for Takigawa to change in. "Want me to give you a sponge-bath?" he asked with a grin.

Takigawa smiled. "If it's no trouble..." he replied, nodding.

Kimeru shook his head. "No trouble at all..." he said with a smile.

-break-

"...and before I knew it, Nagayan and I were locked inside the closet because of Kimeru!" Tuti finished.

Aiba laughed along with the rest as Tuti told them a story of Kimeru's revenge on them for stealing his hair iron.

Shirota frowned at the mention of a closet.

"What's wrong, Shirota-kun?" Tuti inquired, noticing the look on Shirota's face.

Shirota sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I just remembered something back when I was in Senior High... when Aiba came to stay over for the first time and my brothers were home..."

Aiba chuckled. "Oh...that..." he said.

Nagayan looked at him in confusion. "Why, what happened?" he asked.

Shirota shrugged. "I don't..." he said, turning to Aiba. "You tell them..."

Aiba patted him on the shoulder reassuringly. "When I first slept over at Yuu's place back in Senior High, his brothers locked him in the closet so that they could ask me about some things," he explained.

Tuti blinked. "Really?" he asked, looking over to Shirota.

"I ended up being stuck there for a half hour, and I don't like being in dark places for that long..." Shirota complained.

Aiba smiled as he placed an arm on Shirota's shoulders. "Saa...let's not talk about that okay? I don't like seeing you frown," he said.

"Oh yeah~ Before I forget! Aibacchin, your manager called this morning and told me you have a new project to work on once that arm of yours heals," Nagayan said.

"A new project?" Aiba asked.

"Aa. It's a series called '_Delicious Gakuin_' and I'll be working with you this time," Nagayan said happily.

"Really? That's good news senpai!"

Shirota nodded before turning to Nagayan. "Would you know what that's about, Nagayama-senpai?"

Tuti stroked his chin. "Isn't Ryuunosuke-kun going to take part in that as well?" he inquired, turning to Nagayan.

"Aa. Ryuunosuke-kun will be with us, though he's in my side of the story while Aibacchi is one of the main characters," Nagayan said. "The show is mainly about food and various ways to prepare them like from selection to cooking and even presentation."

Aiba blinked. "Food?" he asked curiously.

Nagayan laughed when he heard Aiba's reaction. "Yes Aibacchi...food."

"I wonder if Hiroki would be able to control himself around that," Shirota teased lightly.

"I'm sure he would...and I would advice that you talk to Kazuki-kun as well to help you prepare for the role," Nagayan continued.

"Kazuki? Why Kazuki?" Aiba asked.

"Because you character is apparently narcissistic," Nagayan answered.

Shirota's eyes widened before turning to Aiba, grinning. "THAT would be a sight to see you pull off, Hiroki!"

Aiba blinked. "It's going to be tough but if they think I can do it then I might just pull it off," he said with a chuckle. "After all, we wouldn't know until I actually try now, do we?"

"You can start right now," Shirota offered.

"Eh?" Aiba exclaimed as he looked at Shirota. "Now?" he asked.

Tuti nodded. "Why don't you give us an Atobe impersonation?" he asked.

Nagayan nodded. "That could work since he would be our basis for now."

Aiba looked at the group. "Well...let's see...Atobe...Atobe..." he muttered as he thought of some lines. He smirked as he stood up and pointed at Shirota. "Tezuka...you are no match for Ore-sama...whether be it in skill, talent or..." he paused dramatically as he used Kazuki's ending pose in '_Koori no Emperor_' back in DL 3 -but he only used one hand-, "...beauty...Ore-sama no bigi ni...yoi na."

Nagayan applauded. "He actually did it!" he said as he laughed.

Shirota held back his laughter for two seconds before bursting out. "Sugee, Hiroki!" he cheered, grinning widely. "Looks like you'll have no problems acting that way," he said happily.

"Your manager called up as well, Shirota," Tuti said suddenly.

"Eh?"

"Once your leg heals, he says you'll be taking the lead role in a movie called _'Heat Island'_," he explained.

Shirota blinked.

"Cool...what's his character, senpai?" Aiba asked eagerly as he sat back down.

Tuti chuckled as he turned to Shirota. "A street gangster by the name of Aki," he explained. "I believe that in itself explains a lot."

Aiba grinned as he looked at Shirota. "Looks like you have to bring out that bad boy attitude of yours, Yuu," he teased.

Shirota smirked. "They're expecting me to if they gave that role to me..." he replied.

Aiba chuckled. "Just make sure that you lose the attitude once you come home," he said.

"I know. But if I somehow need to sport my hair differently for the movie, we wouldn't be able to do anything about that," Shirota said amusingly.

Aiba looked at Shirota's hair and smirked. "I think I can do something about that," he said.

-break-

Upstairs, Takigawa and Kimeru had just finished with the bath as the former was pulling on a shirt with a bit of difficulty, wincing at his bruises as he did so. Kimeru helped Takigawa put on his clothes and afterwards eased him on the bed. He joined him after he changed his own clothes, though he was careful not to let Takigawa notice his wound.

Takigawa sighed with relief as he settled down onto the bed. "Kimeru..." he called out quietly as he closed his eyes. Kimeru smiled as he lied down beside Takigawa. "You don't have to hide it, you know..." Takigawa said. "About your knees, I mean..." he added quietly.

-break-

Shirota frowned, turning to Aiba. "Exactly what would you do?" he asked hesitantly.

Aiba grinned. "Well...I'd just have to mess it up a bit..." he said.

Shirota laughed. "That's not what I mean!" he said. "What I mean is if and when the directors decide that I need to have a different hairstyle - whether it be color or what not - then you shouldn't complain if I come home sporting some kind of rebel hairstyle," he explained.

Aiba frowned. "As long as you don't bring anymore of your character home rather than your hairstyle then it'll be fine," he said flatly.

Nagayan smirked. "Someone's not into roleplay..." he muttered before Tuti elbowed him.

Shirota nodded, satisfied with the bargain.

-break-

Kimeru's smile disappeared when he heard this. "I...I just didn't want you to worry, that's all..." he said.

"Aa... But since I know you're more worried about my welfare for the time being and since _I_ have to be the one to stay in bed, I'll just tell you to take care of yourself next time... Ii na?" Takigawa said, looking over to Kimeru and gave him a soft smile.

Kimeru chuckled. "Alright..." he said quietly.

Takigawa closed his eyes after acknowledging Kimeru's response with a nod before he drifted off to sleep.

Kimeru smiled softly as he watched Takigawa fall asleep. He moved a bit closer before closing his eyes to catch up on much needed rest.

-break-

Aiba looked at the ceiling. "I don't think they'll be coming down in a while..." he said.

"Eiji-nii certainly won't," Shirota supplied. "And Kime-nii's probably staying with him for now..."

Aiba nodded. "That's true...and knowing Kime-nii he must have gotten only a few minutes -if not none at all- of sleep last night," he said.

Nagayan looked at Tuti. "What's your assessment?" he asked.

Tuti looked over to Nagayan for a moment before saying, "Kimeru wants to look after Takigawa-kun a bit more carefully than before, I suppose."

Shirota nodded. "That may be another reason..."

"I can't really blame him for wanting to do so," Nagayan said and Tuti nodded.

"So what's for dinner, Tuti-senpai?" Shirota inquired, effectively changing the subject.

Tuti thought for a moment. "Hmm...Anyone up for chicken?" he asked.

"Chicken's a nice change of pace," Shirota admitted.

+++January 16, 2007+++

The next day, Nagayan had managed to coax Kimeru to get out of the room. Kimeru was very reluctant at first but thanks to Nagayan reassuring him that nothing bad would happen while he wasn't there, they managed to get him to come out. He was now with Aiba and Shirota in the backyard, watching Momo and Echizen run around while Fuji remained in her cage with Tezuka.

Shirota was on the grass, chuckling as he watched Echizen scurrying from Momo, using his cast as some sort of obstacle course to get up and over. "These two have a lot of stamina to be running around like this," he commented.

Aiba nodded. "Though it's really fitting that Momo is the one running after Echizen all the time… Seldom is it the other way around," he said.

Kimeru watched the two with a smile on his lips. "How's Fuji doing?" he asked.

"She's improving...I think it's partly because Tezuka is sticking with her," Aiba answered.

"Never separate a Tezuka from his Fuji for too long," Shirota said slyly. "If you pull Tezuka away, he'll just complain by biting you or nuzzling you differently until you realize that he wants to be back with Fuji."

Kimeru smirked. "It could also happen the other way around," he said.

Aiba nodded in agreement. "Fuji would also do anything to get back to Tezuka if they're separated."

Shirota smirked, looking over to Kimeru. "Like yourself, Kime-nii?" he teased lightly.

Kimeru chuckled. "Aa...like me," he said with a smile.

"We don't really mind it if you wanted to be with Eiji-nii right now, Kime-nii. Na, Hiroki?" Shirota said, grinning over to Aiba.

-break-

Takigawa winced slightly when he felt something cold press against his forehead. He opened his eyes wearily.

"Ah, gomen. Did I wake you up?" Tuti inquired as he sat down on the chair by the bed. "I had to change the towel on your forehead. You're still running a little fever, you see..."

Takigawa nodded lightly before closing his eyes again. "What time is it?"

"It's nearly time for lunch. But don't force yourself to get up. You need to rest up a lot today to fight off that fever," Tuti suggested.

-break-

Kimeru sighed. "I'm afraid that Nagayan had made me promise to stay out of there until after lunch. Tuti's in there anyway to watch over him in the meantime," he said.

Aiba nodded in understanding. "He's in good hands then, Kime-nii," he told the first generation Fuji actor.

"Aa...I know," Kimeru answered.

-break-

Takigawa smirked. "Aa... I'll be getting an earful from Kime if I still have a fever by tomorrow, I bet," he joked.

Tuti smiled gently. "Don't worry; I don't think Kimeru will fault you for still being feverish tomorrow or the day after that. Besides, you also have your fatigue to regain too," he reminded his fellow first generation actor.

"Arigatou, Tuti..." Takigawa said before he tried to find himself some sleep once more.

-break-

Kimeru was laughing about something when he felt something fuzzy press against his hand that was on the grass. He looked down and saw two guinea pigs there. "A-re? Fuji and Tezuka?"

Aiba looked at Kimeru then at the two. "Oi...how did you two get out?" he asked.

Shirota managed to grab hold of Momo and Echizen before he looked over to see Tezuka and Fuji. "Looks like Fuji's doing better," he pointed out before chuckling. "And with the way Tezuka's managed to get in and out of their cage all this time it's no surprise how they got out," he added.

Aiba sighed. "I already adjusted the lock of the cage...didn't really think that they would actually get out," he said. Fuji went up to him and settled on his lap. "Feeling better aren't you?" he asked the guinea pig as he stroked its back using his finger.

"Shows you how smart they can be," Shirota explained as he set Momo and Echizen down as they scurried forward to their mother, joining her on Aiba's lap.

Aiba smiled as Momo and Echizen came over. "Looks like they missed her," he said before looking at Shirota to watch Tezuka scurry on the singer's shoulder.

Shirota chuckled, watching Tezuka for a moment. "You've been hanging around on my shoulder a lot lately. Are you sure you're feeling alright, Tezuka?" he teased. The response he got was Tezuka gently nuzzling him on the neck.

Kimeru chuckled as he saw Momo and Echizen run off again while Fuji and Tezuka stayed with Shirota and Aiba.

Nagayan peeked out into the backyard. "Lunch is ready~" he announced. "I made some Chinese food today."

Shirota looked over, grinning. "We haven't had Chinese in a long time!" he admitted.

"Getting in character already, senpai?" Aiba teased as he and Kimeru helped Shirota back inside the house for lunch.

Nagayan chuckled. "Maybe," he said.

Shirota thanked Aiba and Kimeru as he was helped into the familiar couch in the living room, propping his leg up as Nagayan brought him his lunch. "Arigatou, Nagayama-senpai," Shirota said, nodding as he looked at the assortment of food on his plate.

Aiba looked at the food and smiled. "Wow...you outdid Tuti-senpai with this one," he said.

Kimeru, who was being pushed out of the kitchen by Nagayan, was asking about Takigawa "...and have you even given him his lunch?" Kimeru asked.

"He can eat when he wakes up," Nagayan reassured Kimeru. "Now go and have yourself some lunch!" he said in a warning tone.

Shirota looked to Aiba and chuckled. "Someone's worried about tou-san," Shirota said playfully.

Aiba nodded as he watched Kimeru argue with Nagayan. "Typical..." he said as he started eating.

"Itadakimasu~" Shirota said as he started off his lunch as well.

After another round of arguing, Kimeru found himself in the living room with Shirota and Aiba to have lunch with them. "Why can't I win against that guy?" he muttered as he stared at his food.

Shirota grinned, halfway finished with his food as he looked over to Kimeru. "Nagayama-senpai just wants you to take care of yourself too and not worry all the time about tou-san," he explained.

"I don't worry all the time..." Kimeru reasoned and Aiba gave him a look. Kimeru sighed. "Fine...I do, but it's all for a good reason!"

Shirota nodded. "We understand that as well. And believe me, if it wasn't for this broken leg I'd volunteer to look over tou-san once in a while so you could have some time to yourself," he said quietly.

Aiba nodded in agreement. "That's right, Kime-nii. No matter how much you worry about yourself it's still not a reason to disregard your own health and welfare," he said.

Kimeru chuckled. "I guess you two are right...which reminds me," he said before looking at the two. "Eiji's birthday is coming up in a few months, what do you guys suggest we do?" he asked.

Shirota stroked his chin in thought. "With everything Eiji-nii's been doing lately..." he began. "I guess one thing we could do is cook for him. And I actually miss being in the kitchen now that we're on the subject..."

Aiba chuckled as he patted Shirota on the shoulder. "Don't worry, you can cook all you want in a few months time," he reassured him. "That sounds like a plan. What do you think, Kime-nii?" Aiba asked.

Kimeru thought for a moment. "That could work...I already have my gift but I don't think it's safe to be given until evening," he said.

"Why is that?" Aiba inquired.

"That would be because it's an MTV that is frozen for a while and will be released next year..."Kimeru explained. "...and that it must not be viewed by minors," he added slyly.

"Unfair!" Shirota said with a pout. "We're not minors!" he complained.

Kimeru chuckled. "That's true..." he said. "But I don't think that your eyes could take what's in here..." he said as he showed them a CD.

Aiba looked at the CD. "How did that get there?" he asked.

Kimeru smiled. "Magic," he answered simply.

Shirota pouted before a door being closed was heard, and footsteps echoing overhead. "A-re? Tuti-senpai?" he thought, turning to the stairs.

"Nagayan~ Takigawa's up and wants to eat," Tuti called from the top of the stairs.

"I'll feed him!" Kimeru volunteered, immediately standing up and ran to the kitchen.

Nagayan stopped him. "Back to the living room Kime..." he warned.

"But-"

"Our agreement was after lunch," Nagayan said as he snatched the tray from Kimeru's hands, handing it to Tuti. "No buts."

Kimeru sighed before going back to the living room to finish his lunch.

Tuti nodded, taking the tray and headed back upstairs to the guest room where Takigawa and Kimeru stayed.

-break-

Takigawa managed to sit himself up and smiled lightly at the sight of Tuti returning. "Mind my asking who made lunch?" he asked as Tuti arranged the bed table and set the tray onto it before placing it in front of Takigawa.

"Nagayan did. Kimeru's downstairs having lunch with Shirota-kun and Aiba-kun," Tuti replied.

Takigawa nodded.

"Kimeru will be here after lunch. Nagayan insisted he take a break from looking after you this morning. He was eager to come up in my place, though," Tuti said conversationally.

Takigawa coughed before chuckling.

-break-

After having lunch, Nagayan took their plates to wash them. Aiba had turn on the TV and by a random stroke of luck they managed to catch Tennis no Oujisama in one of the channels.

Kimeru went to the kitchen during the first commercial break and asked Nagayan if he could go back to Takigawa. When Nagayan finally allowed him to go upstairs, the singer did so with much enthusiasm. Once Kimeru reached the room, Tuti was just closing the door behind him. Upon spotting Kimeru he held the door open for him. "Thanks Tuti!" Kimeru said as he went inside their room.

Takigawa turned to the door upon hearing Kimeru's voice and smiled. "Have a good lunch?" he inquired.

Kimeru nodded as he closed the door behind him. "Aa...but it could have been better if you were with us," he said with a smile. "How are you feeling?" he asked as he spotted the basin of water near the bed.

"A bit better," Takigawa replied as he moved to lie back down.

Kimeru nodded before taking the electronic thermometer to check Takigawa's temperature. "Not bad…" he said as he looked at the reading. "You're down to a 38.5 from 40," he informed him. He placed the thermometer back in its case before sitting on the bed.

"Glad to hear there's some improvement..." Takigawa said before coughing again.

_'I thank the high heavens that I have strong immunity over sicknesses...'_ Kimeru thought with a smile as he took the cloth in the basin of water and placed it on Takigawa's head. "There you go..." he said. "Now go ahead and get some more sleep."

Takigawa closed his eyes. "Hai, kaa-san..." he muttered, a smirk playing on his face before drifting off to sleep.

Kimeru smiled as he noticed Takigawa drift off to sleep. He pulled out a book from under his pillow and read the page that he marked.

-break-

"Heh... I'm surprised Eiji-nii's stayed upstairs this whole time without complaints... I hope he gets better soon..." Shirota whined.

Aiba chuckled. "Of course he's not complaining. He has Kime-nii to keep him company now," he said as he patted Shirota on the shoulder.

"Well, that's true..." Shirota admitted. "The reason he came out last time was because Kime-nii was leaving him alone in the room... So now that Kime-nii's actually with him, he has no reason to come out..."

"Kimeru only left him because no one else could move around the house," Nagayan explained as he and Tuti joined them to watch.

Aiba frowned. "I could..." he reasoned.

"While that's true..." Shirota started.

"Kimeru wanted you to rest your arm as much as Shirota resting his leg so it would heal quicker," Tuti interjected.

"And that's why I will drag Kime-nii to a bar once I'm out of this thing!" Aiba proclaimed.

Nagayan smirked. "No one's stopping you but be wary that Takigawa might be lurking around if you do that. Kime isn't someone that's easily ignored when brought to those types of places," he warned.

Shirota chuckled. "Eiji-nii doubles as Kime-nii's bodyguard in public places like that," he said.

Tuti nodded. "True..." he said before looking at Aiba. "...not only that, if you put Kimeru and yourself together, I wouldn't be surprised if people start flirting with you the moment you step inside the bar," he said offhandedly.

"I'll be with Eiji-nii when that time comes looking after the two of you," Shirota mused.

Nagayan smirked. "Tezuka always has a way to find and protect Fuji no matter what the situation..." he said.

"Now where have I heard something like that before?" Aiba asked as he looked at Shirota.

Shirota merely grinned at this but decided not to say anything.

+++January 23, 2007+++

A week after that day, Takigawa was once more up and about. Thanks to the combined efforts of Tuti, Nagayan and Kimeru, he had gotten enough rest and was now well enough to move around the house. Kimeru thanked Tuti and Nagayan for their efforts during their last day helping out in the house.

"Eiji-nii~ Glad to see you looking well again" Aiba said with a smile.

Takigawa nodded as he took up his cup of tea as he joined them in the living room. His fever had gone a few days back and most of the bruises he sustained were gone, save for one on his cheek - which happened to be Kimeru's punch - that still sported a bandage. "I'm glad to be walking around again," he admitted.

Shirota grinned. "We missed seeing you around the house," he said.

Aiba nodded before pointing on the bruise on Takigawa's cheek, "That's...from Kime-nii isn't it?" he asked.

Kimeru, who was just a few steps away from Takigawa, looked away.

Takigawa chuckled and looked over to Kimeru. "Aa. But I've got nothing to worry about," he said with a smile over to the J-Pop singing. "It'll heal up eventually. Can't be picky about it."

Kimeru sighed. "Could have been worse," he said with a shrug as he joined them.

Takigawa furrowed his eyebrows. "Don't say things like that, Kime. You'd have me spread out in bed for a whole month if it was anything worse than this," he pointed out.

"Anyway, Fuji's doing better as well," Shirota said conversationally.

Aiba nodded as he gestured to Tezuka and Fuji near the TV. "And Tezuka's still sticking with her," he said with a smile.

Kimeru grinned. "As expected."

Takigawa smiled at the sight before looking over to Kimeru. "I never got to thank you properly for taking care of me, Kime..." he said, pulling the J-Pop singing into a chaste kiss.

Kimeru smiled. "No problem, it was the least I could do," he replied.

"Shogi!" Shirota exclaimed, causing Takigawa to look over to him.

"Hmm?"

"I've always wanted to try playing against you, Eiji-nii! Let's play!" he challenged.

Takigawa blinked before laughing. "Alright. Let me go and get that set you got me for Christmas, then," he said brightly getting to his feet and went upstairs.

Aiba looked at Kimeru and smiled. "This is going to be interesting," Kimeru said and Aiba nodded.

"I've got no experience playing, though," Shirota pointed out as he watched Takigawa go upstairs.

"It'll be fun to watch either way," Kimeru said with a shrug.

Aiba nodded. "It's not every day we see you two go against one another in something," he explained.

Takigawa chuckled as he returned with the set and set it down on the table. "That's because we always end up doing things together than the opposite. Na, Shiropon?" he said as he began setting it up.

Shirota nodded. "Aa."

Kimeru smiled. "Tezuka people..." he muttered as he shook his head.

Shirota turned to Kimeru. "Then we'll play tennis when my leg is completely healed!" he said randomly before looking at the set that Takigawa had finished assembling.

Takigawa smiled. "I'll let you make the first move then, Shiropon," he said.

Shirota nodded before taking a tile and placing it forward a space. "This is like chess, right?"

Takigawa nodded as he moved a tile of his own.

Aiba watched the game. "Chess?" he said out loud. "Well...that's one game that I can never win…" he muttered.

-break-

The game continued at a leisurely pace and by the end of it, Takigawa had easily won.

"Well, I knew it was hopeless to win against you," Shirota said, stretching his arms out above his head.

Takigawa chuckled. "Don't say that, I've just been playing more than you have, that's all," he said encouragingly.

Aiba blinked when the game ended. "I seriously didn't understand anything that has happened," he said as he took Momo who had somehow settled on his head sometime during the game.

Shirota chuckled. "Not that you would have to, Hiroki," Shirota said, patting the boy on the shoulder.

"Saa, it's about time I get to the kitchen. I believe a lunch to celebrate my getting better is in order?" Takigawa said as he packed up the shogi set.

"Too late, lunch is already prepared," Kimeru said with a smirk.

"Mou, and I wanted to make something new for lunch..." Takigawa said with a frown, looking over to Kimeru.

"There's always dinner, Eiji-nii," Shirota reassured him.

Kimeru nodded. "Aa... Feel free to make dinner tonight, Eiji," he said with a smile.

Aiba grinned. "Still don't want him to push himself, Kime-nii?" he teased.

"Who said cooking was pushing myself?" Takigawa inquired incredulously, looking between Aiba and Kimeru.

Kimeru raised his hand. "I just don't want to take chances?" he said sheepishly.

Shirota chuckled. "Eiji-nii will be fine if it's cooking," he reassured them with a grin.

Kimeru sighed. "Alright..." he said in defeat. "You can make dinner later but for now let me do lunch since it's already done anyway."

Aiba chuckled. "That doesn't leave us a choice anyway."

Takigawa nodded over to Aiba. "That's true." A bark came into the living room before Pearl came excitedly to paw at Takigawa's leg. Her owner smiled as he bent down to take her up into his arms. "Yes, I missed you too," Takigawa said as Pearl affectionately licked him in the face.

Shirota chuckled. "That reminds me..." He turned to Aiba. "Ne, where's the accessories for the guinea pigs?"

"Ah! Good thing you remembered!" Aiba exclaimed before running upstairs to retrieve the kit. "Here we go~" he said as he came back and handed it to Shirota, "Since Momo is already here, let's try and fix him up first," he said as he plucked Momo off his head.

Shirota nodded and opened the kit. To his surprise, it was organized in a way that there was a partition where the accessories were arranged according to character. "Wow..." he said, blinking in astonishment.

Takigawa sat himself back down on the couch. "What are you amazed about Shiropon?" he inquired, chuckling.

"There are even glasses in there as well..." Aiba said as he looked inside the kit. "This is just so cool..."

Kimeru chuckled as he saw the expression of the two second generation actors.

Shirota looked around for Tezuka. "Tezuka!" he called as the guinea pig moved towards his outstretched hand. Grinning, he took the glasses and arranged them over the guinea pig's beady eyes. He chuckled at the sight before fixing Tezuka's fur slightly before showing him to Aiba. "What do you think?" he inquired.

Aiba grinned. "Now he's definitely Tezuka..." he said.

Shirota grinned in triumph as he stroked Tezuka with his finger.

Takigawa smiled. "I'm glad you're enjoying that," he said.

Aiba nodded. "Aa. Arigatou Eiji-nii~~" he said before taking Echizen. "Hand me the cap there, Yuu," he said.

Shirota pulled out the familiar white cap and held it out to Aiba. "Hai."

Aiba placed the cap on Echizen, adjusting it a bit to make sure that it won't fall off. "There we go," he said as he showed Echizen to the group.

"The prince of tennis has joined us," Kimeru said with a grin.

"Sugoi, it makes him look like Echizen a lot," Shirota pointed out, beaming.

Takigawa chuckled. "Cute, isn't it?"

Aiba paused for a moment before looking at Fuji who was still by the TV. "...What about Fuji and Momo?" he asked.

Takigawa took the kit and pulled out a small instruction manual. "Styling," he explained, showing it to Aiba. "Since they don't have any defining accessories like the rest."

"I see...well for the meantime…" Aiba said as he took out a bandana and placed it on Momo's head. "This should do the trick," he said with a chuckle.

Shirota pointed to Momo. "I think he knows he's not supposed to wear that," he said as Momo was fussing with the bandana with his little paws.

Aiba chuckled. "I think so too," he said as he plucked the bandana off Momo's head.

Takigawa looked over to Pearl, who was nuzzling against Takigawa's shirt. "You've been worried about me this whole time, haven't you?' he asked her quietly, scratching her behind the ear.

"Of course she was...we all were…"Kimeru reminded him.

"And you most of all?" Takigawa said, setting Pearl down and looking over to Kimeru with a knowing predatory smirk.

Kimeru noticed the look that Takigawa was giving him. "Eiji..." he hissed in warning before clearing his throat. "I'll just get something in the kitchen," he said quickly before standing up and heading to the kitchen.

Takigawa smiled. "I'll join you," he called, following after his partner.

Aiba watched the two as they entered the kitchen. "They...won't be back for a while, right?" he asked Shirota as he reached for the remote of the TV. "Let's just raise the sounds a bit..." he muttered as he turned up the volume of the TV.

Shirota chuckled and leaned back on the couch, turning his attention to the TV screen.

-break-

Takigawa followed Kimeru into the kitchen, moving up behind him and wrapped his arms around Kimeru's waist. "I've missed you, you know..." he said quietly.

Kimeru smiled as he turned around to face Takigawa and placed his arms around his neck. "I've missed you too..." he said softly.

Takigawa smiled before leaning over and taking Kimeru into a long kiss he had been wanting to do for weeks. _'When was the last time I've held you like this? It's hard to remember...'_ he asked himself, but did not mind leaving the question unanswered.

Kimeru responded to the kiss and pulled Takigawa a bit closer to him in the process.

-break-

Aiba, who couldn't keephis mind off what might be going on in their kitchen, adjusted for the fifth time on the couch.

Shirota patted the space beside him. "Hiroki, come here," he coaxed, a smile on his faced.

Aiba looked at Shirota for a moment before standing up from the chair where he was currently sitting on to sit beside Shirota. "Something up?" he asked.

"When's the last time we've been alone and didn't have to worry about sleep to take us away?" Shirota inquired slyly, his fingers taking Aiba by the chin as he smiled innocently at the younger boy.

Aiba blushed when he realized the situation. "A long time ago...too long..." he responded quietly.

Shirota lowered his hand as he leaned forward so that their foreheads touched as he closed his eyes. "It's been that long, huh..." he said quietly.

Aiba smiled. "Aa..." he said as closed his eyes as well and leaned forward to kiss Shirota.

Shirota, being more than obliged by the kiss, returned it with equal passion. _'If only his arm wasn't broken...'_ he said to himself with an inward sigh.

Aiba placed a hand on Shirota's neck, unable to do anything else. _'Darn cast...I can't wait to get this off...'_ he told himself.

-break-

Takigawa pulled back and smiled. "I would think at least one of them would've taken this time to do something, don't you agree?" he asked quietly.

Kimeru chuckled. "That's very possible..." he said. "And I wouldn't really want to barge in on them."

Takigawa nodded. "Agreed. So _were_ you going to get anything from here?" he inquired, gesturing to the kitchen.

Kimeru shook his head. "Nothing really...I just wanted to lure you away from the kids, tou-san," he teased.

Takigawa chuckled. "I'm actually going to miss having to take care of them when their injuries get better..." he admitted.

Kimeru sighed. "That goes for me too...so I guess we have to make the best out of the few months left, ne?" he said with a chuckle.

Takigawa nodded firmly. "Aa."

-break-

Aiba pulled away from Shirota and placed his head on his shoulder as two furry creatures caught his attention. "Yuu...look," he said quietly as he gestured to Tezuka and Fuji who were nuzzling one another.

"They were jealous," Shirota pointed out, chuckling softly.

Aiba smiled. "That could be true..." he said before sighing. "I swear...once I get my cast off I will definitely do something productive."

Shirota chuckled. "Believe me, you and I will have so much more things to do once we have these casts off. Now find me a pen," he said with a grin on his face.

"A pen?" Aiba asked before standing up and walking to a drawer. "Aha," he exclaimed when he found one. He grabbed a piece of paper along with it before heading back to the couch. "Here you go..." he said with a smile.

"Arigatou," Shirota thanked, taking both before clicking the pen and checking if there was still any ink by writing a few random things on the paper. "Yosh..." He folded the paper and turned to Aiba. "You said you wanted me to sign your cast, right?" he said, grinning.

Aiba grinned. "I see you remembered," he said with a chuckle. "I am so going to put this on my blog."

Shirota chuckled as he signed Aiba's cast before holding the pen out to him. "Then you sign mine as well."

Aiba grinned. "No problem," he said as he took the pen and signed Shirota's cast.

-break-

Takigawa looked around. "Isn't it about time we brought lunch out?" he inquired.

Kimeru's eyes widened as he looked at the time. "I almost forgot about that!" he said as he started setting up the lunch so that they could bring it to the two in the living room.

Takigawa chuckled. "I'll help," he offered.

-break-

A few more minutes later, Kimeru and Takigawa rejoined Shirota and Aiba in the living room.

Takigawa blinked. "You've signed each other's casts..." he pointed out as he set up the table for them.

Aiba nodded. "Yep! I'm his number one fan~" he said playfully.

Kimeru chuckled. '_Now where have I heard that one before?'_ he asked himself.

Takigawa smirked. "Saa, lunch is served," he announced.

Kimeru was about to settle down and eat as well before he spotted two familiar balls of fur heading for the food on the table. "Oh, no you don't..." he said as he grabbed Momo and Echizen. "Your food is right here," he said as he placed the two in the cage where they immediately started eating.

Shirota started eating as he looked over to Tezuka and Fuji. "Looks like Fuji likes the glasses," he pointed out.

"But Yuu...she's just staring at him..." Aiba said.

Shirota chuckled. "If Fuji doesn't like the glasses, she'll paw it off like Momo did with the bandana," he reasoned as the two nuzzled against each other.

Aiba smiled as he watched the two. "They're so cute..." he said before turning his attention back to his food.

"Speaking of glasses, you and Kimeru-senpai haven't been wearing them lately," Shirota said before taking another serving of his food.

Aiba froze. "E-to..."

Kimeru looked at Shirota. "I'm wearing them when I read...and only when I read," he said.

Takigawa nodded. "I can confirm that for you," he said.

Shirota turned to Aiba beside him. "And you?" he inquired with a small smile as he took another serving of his food.

"Umm...I sort of forgot that I had them," Aiba answered quickly.

Shirota shrugged. "I figured as much..." he said. "Do you need me to wear glasses myself to remind you?" he asked.

Takigawa laughed. "You really enjoyed wearing prop glasses, didn't you, Shirotan?" he teased.

Shirota chuckled. "I guess..."

Kimeru grinned, "Maybe you should put the prop glasses back on so that 'Tezuka' can remind Aibacchi to wear his own," he said slyly.

Shirota smiled. "I wouldn't mind."

Takigawa got to his feet, having finished his lunch. "If that's the case, I'll go get them for you. Count on Ueshima-sensei to leave you with a parting gift from Myu..." he said before heading upstairs.

Aiba frowned. "I'll remember!" he argued.

"Now now Aibacchi...let the Tezuka people have their fun," Kimeru said.

Shirota smiled. "I miss wearing it," he reasoned as Takigawa came back and handed a case to the second Tezuka actor. "Domo," Shirota said, taking the case and pulled out the familiar glasses and slipped it on.

As if on cue, Tezuka ran up to Aiba who picked him up and placed him on Shirota's shoulder. "Two Tezukas..." he said with a grin.

Shirota looked over to Takigawa. "We'd make it three if Eiji-nii had his glasses with him," he said, looking over to Tezuka on his shoulder.

Aiba grinned. "I'll just go get my camera, don't move!" he said as he stood up and ran upstairs.

Takigawa chuckled. "But I do," he reasoned, pulling out his own pair of glasses.

"Then slip it on quickly!" Shirota said. "And stay here with me," he instructed.

Takigawa grinned over to Kimeru before slipping the glasses on and taking Aiba's place on the couch with Shirota as Tezuka moved himself to Shirota's other shoulder.

Aiba went down a moment later, his digital camera in his hand. "Yosh- Ah! Eiji-nii also has his Tezuka glasses on!" he exclaimed as smiled widely.

Kimeru stood up and went beside Aiba. "Now this is a once in a lifetime thing." he mused.

Aiba nodded as he set the camera up. "Okay...1...2...3…smile!" he said before pressing the shutter button.

After Shirota and Takigawa smiled for the camera - in a way they knew Tezuka would -, Takigawa got to his feet. "I suppose this means that the three of you need a picture yourselves," he pointed out.

Shirota nodded. "Aa," he agreed as he stroked Tezuka in his hands.

Kimeru and Aiba looked at one another. "I think I have just the thing…" Kimeru said before going upstairs, coming back later with two Seigaku jackets.

Aiba grinned. "I think there's one for Fuji too..." he said.

Shirota, already assuming that, pulled out the kit and handed over the jacket for their guinea pig. "Hai."

Kimeru took the jacket and slipped it on Fuji before handing the camera to Takigawa. "There we go..." he said as he placed Fuji on Aiba's shoulder. "Three Fujis…one of Tezuka's best fantasies…" Kimeru teased before putting on his Seigaku jacket.

Both Shirota and Tezuka stared fondly at this scene as Takigawa took the camera and adjusted the focus as he looked through the viewfinder. "Alright then..." he called. "1...2...3... Pose!" The sound of the camera clicking and taking the picture before it was displayed on the screen.

Kimeru brought up a hand and striked one of Fuji's known poses while Aiba just smiled slyly at the camera.

"Let me see!" Kimeru said as he and Aiba went over to look at the picture.

"The two faces of Fuji Syuusuke. How interesting," Aiba commented with a grin.

"Interesting is the right word," Shirota said, adjusting his glasses.

Kimeru and Aiba looked at one another before smiling in a Fuji like manner. "Saa...they seem to want to keep their Tezuka attitude… Let's see if we can do something about that…" Kimeru said with a chuckle.

"Gladly…" Aiba replied before they both turned to look at their respective Tezukas.

"You're implying that having Tezuka's attitude is a bad thing," Takigawa stated.

Shirota shrugged. "And it's not every day that we're like this, anyway. You can go ahead and blame the glasses for the personality change once in a while," he explained.

Kimeru grinned. "Then I guess you can also blame the jackets for making me and Aibacchi feel a lot more sadistic right now," he said with a chuckle.

Aiba however, removed his jacket already. "It was getting to warm for my cast…" he explained.

"So Aiba's out of his Fuji attitude," Shirota pointed out, turning to Kimeru.

Kimeru chuckled. "Well...it's no fun if it's just me, ne?" he said as he took off his own jacket.

Takigawa smirked. "Don't worry, as long as Shiropon and I don't wear the jackets, I don't think we'll be inclined to get ourselves into Tezuka's personality for the rest of the afternoon," he reassured the J-Pop singer.

Aiba stood up again and set up his camera on its tripod. He set the timer and went back to the other three. "Everyone, look at the camera!" he said suddenly.

The four immediately positioned themselves before posing as the picture was taken. Takigawa took off his glasses and shook his head. "I'd like a better family picture when you two are out of your casts, Aibacchi... Shirotan..." he mused, smiling over to them.

Aiba chuckled. "It won't be for a while but I'll keep that in mind, Eiji-nii," he said as he took the camera from its stand to show it to the others. "Kawaii~" he said.

Kimeru grinned. "I'd have to agree with you on that," he said. "I'm going to get this printed and framed one of these days."

Shirota nodded to Takigawa. "That's a nice idea... _tou-san_..." He smirked.

Takigawa smiled, moving to mess up the boy's hair.

"That reminded me something...Eiji-nii, Nagayan-senpai told us something about you and Kime-nii locking them in the closet of the dressing rooms back in your Myu days," Aiba brought up.

Kimeru smirked. "Really now..."

Takigawa paused and turned to Kimeru. "Did we ever do something like that?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow.

Kimeru looked at Takigawa. "You didn't...I did," he said. "They killed my phone and took pictures of us in theirs," he explained. "That was the time that they were missing from practice for almost two hours."

Takigawa blinked. "Well, that explains it..." he muttered.

Kimeru nodded. "I deleted the pictures from their phone… Unfortunately, Sota and the others had already seen them."

"Count on Sota to get all the gossip..." Takigawa said, shaking his head. "A natural-born Inui..."

Kimeru nodded in agreement. "Even when we were already done with Myu he still managed to get the latest news from everybody," he said.

"That just means he wants to be updated with how everybody is..." Shirota offered. "He must be the reason why Ueshima-sensei's up-to-date with everything..."

Aiba nodded. "Must be that or he had some people watch our every move~" he said. "But that's impossible."

"Hey, the thought of that is making me unsettled..." Shirota pouted.

"I was just kidding Yuu...I think I've been reading too many Sci-fi stories on the internet…" Aiba said.

Kimeru nodded. "Aa...I believe you have."

Takigawa shrugged. "Honestly..." He paused and checked the time. "Looks like it's about time I fixed up dinner." He made his way to the kitchen and gently pushed Kimeru onto the couch. "No, you relax this time around," he said before Kimeru could offer any help. "From you too, Aibacchi," Takigawa called over his shoulder before disappearing into the kitchen.

"How did he know that I was-" The two Fuji actors looked at one another as soon as they realized that they were going to say the same thing; then they both burst out laughing.

"Tou-san is tou-san that way," Shirota said happily. "Let's see what he'll cook up this time around," he said, looking over to the kitchen.

Aiba smiled. "Well, I guess we're back to having five-star dinners," he said. "No offense, Kime-nii," he added quickly.

"None taken," Kimeru answered.

Shirota frowned. "I want to help make something next time..." he muttered.

"You'll get a turn in a few months," Kimeru said as he smiled at Shirota. "I'm sure Eiji wouldn't mind if you ask him if you could help out then."

Shirota turned to Kimeru. "That's not what I meant... I want to help out for Eiji-nii's birthday, at least..." he said quietly.

Kimeru thought for a moment. "You can help...but the problem here is that I still have no idea what to do for his birthday..." he admitted.

Shirota nodded. "Having a party with the others would be nice..." he supplied.

Kimeru nodded. "...And...it would be even better if we manage to get a hold of his parents!" he said in realization. "I think I need to make a call to my manager..." Kimeru muttered as he pulled out his phone.

"I still can't believe you trust that guy after what happened to you..." Shirota muttered darkly.

"Shirotan..." Kimeru began, putting his phone down. "It was an accident," he said. "It could have happened to anybody. It's not his fault that there was ice on the road...and besides, this would be the perfect opportunity for him to make it up to Eiji."

Shirota shrugged. "If you say so..." he said, adjusting his glasses.

"Kime-nii... Have you even talked about it with Eiji-nii?" Aiba asked.

Kimeru thought for a moment. "To tell the truth, I haven't yet," Kimeru answered.

"You two haven't talked about that incident at all since you got your memories back..." Shirota said, pursing his lips.

Kimeru sighed. "Eiji's a bit uncomfortable when I bring it up. So I'm just waiting for him to recover from it for a while..." he said.

Shirota nodded. "I understand."

At this point, Takigawa came out of the kitchen with a tray of food and set it down on the coffee table. "We're doing something Spanish today," he said brightly, looking over to Shirota.

Shirota grinned as he looked at the food. "Comamos!" he said in Spanish before looking at the others. "That translates to 'let's eat'," he added hastily.

Aiba and Kimeru looked at one another before grinning. "Let's eat!" Kimeru said.

"I can't wait to try Eiji-nii's cooking again~" Aiba commented.

Takigawa smiled. "It's been a while, so I apologize if it doesn't taste-"

"UMAI!" Shirota exclaimed happily.

"Yep...Five-star meal..." Aiba said with a grin.

"I agree!" Kimeru said.

Takigawa let what he was going to say go before chuckling, deciding to get himself a serving of his dish.

"So...am I right in assuming that I get to do the dishes?" Kimeru asked.

Takigawa looked over to Kimeru and shook his head. "Nope," he replied, taking Kimeru's plate when all of them were through. "I'll do them," he said, placing everything on the tray and headed off to the kitchen once more.

"I wanted to do them..." Kimeru muttered. Aiba just chuckled at the reaction.

"Tou-san just wants to make up for all the housework you've done when he was in bed resting, I think," Shirota said, smiling fondly over to the kitchen.

"But what else could I do if he does all the housework?" Kimeru asked, and as if on cue, Momo and Echizen made a little squeaking sound before starting to run around the living room.

"I think that answers your question, Kime-nii," Aiba said.

"Gambatte!" Shirota cheered as Pearl came into the living room as well, wanting to play.

Kimeru chuckled as he watched the animals play for a while. "Alright you two...enough!" he said as he tried to grab Momo and Echizen but ended up chasing them around.

Takigawa stepped out from the kitchen just as Momo and Echizen glided past his feet as Kimeru collided onto him, sending them both to the floor.

"Eiji-nii! Kime-nii!" Shirota called in alarm.

"Itai..." Kimeru muttered as he opened his eyes. "What did I crash into-" he was cut off when he noticed that he and Takigawa were on the floor. "Eiji!" he exclaimed before pushing himself back. "I'm so sorry! I didn't see you!" he said as he hurriedly helped Takigawa up.

Takigawa chuckled. "It's alright..." he said as he was helped to his feet.

Kimeru sighed in relief. "For a minute there I thought I injured you."

Takigawa shook his head. "It would take more than a fall like that to get something injured. Na, Shirotan?" he called, looking over to the second generation Tezuka actor.

Shirota nodded. "Aa... Hiroki's glomped me to the floor too many times to confirm that..." he said.

Aiba chuckled. "True...but that may be because I'm light in weight!" he said.

Shirota chuckled. "Then it should also apply to tou-san and kaa-san," he stated.

Kimeru grinned. "Then I'm glad that I didn't decide to try to make my weight heavier this year," he teased.

Takigawa turned to Kimeru. "As if that's possible," he pointed out before playfully lifting Kimeru into his arms.

Kimeru chuckled. "It's possible if I want to!" he said.

Takigawa threw Kimeru up a bit before catching him again. "After everything you intake, you haven't really gained much weight," he commented.

Kimeru yelped in surprise before grabbing hold of Takigawa. "Don't do that!" he said.

Takigawa smiled, pecking Kimeru on the forehead. "Don't worry, I caught you, didn't I?" he reasoned before putting Kimeru down.

Kimeru pouted. "Yes you did but still..." he said with a frown.

"Okay, up to bed, then!" Takigawa said, moving over to the couch. "Saa, let's get you upstairs, Shiropon." He helped Shirota up and looked over to Kimeru as they passed him. "I leave you with the pets then, Kime," he said before assisting Shirota up the stairs.

Kimeru nodded. "Aa. Leave them to me," he said before looking at Momo and Echizen who were still running around. "Ne Fuji...help me out will you?" he asked the only female guinea pig who seemingly understood him.

Fuji went over to Tezuka, who immediately ran over to Kimeru so he can put him in the cage, and squeaked twice; Echizen and Momo came running towards Kimeru a few moments later.

"Thanks Fuji," Kimeru said with a chuckle as he placed her inside the cage along with the rest.

-break-

Takigawa set Shirota down on the bed, nodding to him. "Jaa, oyasumi."

"Eiji-nii..." Shirota called.

"Hai?"

"Will you... Will you want to talk about _that_ incident again with Kime-nii?" Shirota inquired hesitantly.

Aiba, who was already lying down on the bed looked back and forth between Takigawa and Shirota. "I think you should talk about it, Eiji-nii...but that's just my opinion..." he said.

Takigawa closed his eyes before exhaling, nodding. "Aa... I will," he said before heading for the door. "I was planning to clear it up tonight..." he added before leaving the room.

"Good luck, Eiji-nii~" Aiba called out before the door closed.

-break-

Kimeru was already in the bedroom when Takigawa arrived and was changing into a clean shirt.

Takigawa closed the door behind him. "You and I need to have that talk..." he started as he crossed the room to get changed.

"About what?" Kimeru asked as he sat on the bed.

Takigawa came out as he pulled on a tank top. "About your accident..." Takigawa said as he joined Kimeru on the bed.

Kimeru blinked. "Oh...that," he said. "What about it do you want to talk about?" he asked.

"Just a question of why your manager didn't decide to tell me about it first..." Takigawa inquired calmly.

"Well...I talked to him about it already..." Kimeru admitted. "And he said that he called Nagayan first because he knew that you would kill him," he said. "I guess self-preservation kicked in first with him."

Takigawa groaned, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm not that much of a sadist to kill him, for goodness sake..." he said.

Kimeru chuckled. "You can't blame him… After all, by the time he called Nagayan he thought that I didn't make it," he told him.

"What kind of manager is that..?" Takigawa muttered, attempting to squeeze something in the air.

"The kind that is able to think logically even when he's panicking that's what," Kimeru answered.

Takigawa lowered his hand and turned to Kimeru. "Fine, fine..." He moved to lie down.

"Well...he _did_ manage to get something right that night..." Kimeru said. "I got to the hospital as soon as possible, didn't I?"

"Yes, but it would've made more sense if I had known about it right away..." Takigawa muttered.

"But you _did_ find out right away. Nagayan called you right?" Kimeru asked, getting a bit confused.

"He did..." Takigawa confirmed before shaking his head. "Never mind… If Nagayan wasn't there, I would've had a hard time explaining myself and ultimately figure out a way to get your memory back..."

Kimeru smiled. "So everything ended up well...so don't be so hung up about it," he said before moving closer to Takigawa.

Takigawa nodded as he closed his eyes, slowly drifting off to sleep before muttering, "I'm still blaming myself for not going with you..."

"Baka...if you did then there might have been a bigger problem," Kimeru muttered before deciding to close his eyes to try and fall asleep as well.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED :D

We look forward to your reviews and possible suggestions. :)


	16. For Better or Worse

**Title:** Anything for You

**Author/Artist:** snooperj & Bloodysamurai

**Series/Pairing(s):** TeniMyu; Mainly Takigawa Eiji x Kimeru & Shirota Yuu x Aiba Hiroki

**Notes:** Here is the 16th chapter entitled **For Better or Worse**. In this chapter, we take a look into the eventful lives of the two couples on the day of Valentine's Day. Shirota begins to whine about going on an outing despite his broken leg, and the group eventually agrees to attend myu practice a week after the special occasion.

This visit causes a big stir between Shirota and Aiba as the pair hit another rock in their relationship that practically causes them to fall apart. What will happen to them? This chapter details the events of February 14 and 21, 2007.

A hint of how Mitsukaru High will end is mentioned!

**ALSO! None of the authors of this roleplay/fanfic own TeniMyu or the actors, but are mere fangirls of the musical series and corresponding actors we write about. Everything that progresses in the story is the creation of our witty imaginations.

+++February 14, 2007+++

January turned into February, and it wasn't long before the morning of Valentine's Day arrived. Takigawa had woken up early that morning to prepare breakfast for the rest of the household and was already in the kitchen at 8 in the morning cooking some omelet.

-break-

_'I need to think of a way to get him out of the kitchen for a few hours...'_ Kimeru thought as he stared at the ceiling of the bedroom. _'...but how...unless it would be me and Aiba who go out for a while...but that would be hard since-'_ He was cut off by his message alert tone -the only tone that still plays on his phone. He flipped the phone open to look at the message.

"Now this is convenient..." he said with a smile before deciding to get out of bed. He looked at himself in the mirror and smirked. It was time to wake up a certain someone who was still fast asleep in the other room.

-break-

Takigawa, who had finished preparing breakfast, transferred everything to plates before setting up the trays and arranging the food there - omelet, toast, sausages and pancakes to choose from. He smiled at his work before taking off his apron and went to wash his hands.

-break-

Kimeru peeked inside Shirota and Aiba's room, where sure enough the two were still fast asleep. He silently went over to Aiba's side of the bed and nudged him. "Aibacchin...oi...Aibacchin..." Kimeru whispered, trying to wake the boy up.

"Uhn...? ...Kime-nii?" Aiba asked sleepily.

"Get up and get dressed...you and I will be going somewhere," Kimeru said.

Aiba shifted a bit before getting up and moved to get dressed. "I'll be ready in 10 minutes..." he muttered.

Kimeru nodded before heading out of the room. He went downstairs and searched for Takigawa. "Eiji~" Kimeru greeted as he walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek. "Ne~ Aibacchin and I will just go at Nagayan's place for a while after breakfast. Do you think you can manage?" he asked. "We'll be very quick about it."

Takigawa turned to Kimeru and nodded. "Aa. No problem."

"That's great!" Kimeru said with a smile. He looked over at the trays. "Shirotan is still asleep and Aiba-"

"Is right here..." Aiba answered with a yawn as he joined them downstairs. "Ohayou..." he greeted.

Takigawa nodded to Aiba. "You two can eat ahead. I can wait for Shirota to wake up and the two of us can have breakfast together in the room," he offered.

"Thanks~" Kimeru said with a smile. "Now come on Aibacchin, so that we can leave early and finish early."

Aiba blinked a few times in confusion. "What are we going to do anyway?" he asked.

"It's a secret for now~"

After a few minutes, Aiba and Kimeru had finished up with their breakfast. They left the house after Kimeru changed his clothes.

-break-

In the meantime, Takigawa had washed their dishes and arranged the tray to bring upstairs. After feeding the pets, he went upstairs and managed to open the door to Shirota and Aiba's room and set the tray down on the desk and still found the boy sleeping. Sighing to himself, he moved to the bed. "Oi, Shiropon..." he called, shaking him gently.

-break-

"Kime-nii...what are we going to do at Nagayan-senpai's place at this early in the morning?" Aiba asked.

"Don't you remember what day it is, Aibacchin?" Kimeru asked.

"February the 14th?" Aiba said, still a bit disoriented. "...wait...oh..."

Kimeru chuckled. "About time you realized. Now let's go!"

-break-

Shirota had woken up to Takigawa's constant shaking before rolling onto his back, rubbing his eyes. "Tou-san?" he replied sleepily.

Takigawa chuckled. "Breakfast is here, Shirotan," he said, getting off the bed and setting up the bed table. "And just to make you feel more comfortable, I'll eat here with you," he added, transferring the tray onto the bed table and setting it down in front of Shirota. "So don't think all this food is for you."

Shirota smiled. "It's too early for me to want to eat so much," he said.

"Itadakimasu~" Takigawa said, helping himself to a sausage.

"AHH, NO FAIR!" Shirota accused before getting himself some omelet.

-break-

"We're here!" Kimeru said with a smile as he got out of the car.

"Kime-nii... Please remind me next time to keep my eyes shut when you drive..." Aiba muttered as he got out of the car as well.

Kimeru chuckled. "And risk to not seeing your scared face? Why would I do that?" he said.

-break-

"So where're Hiroki and Kime-nii?" Shirota inquired halfway through breakfast, stabbing a pancake after spreading some butter and syrup on it.

"They went to Nagayan's place for a while," Takigawa answered, helping himself to some toast. "Don't ask me why because I wouldn't be able to answer that question for you," he added.

-break-

"...so it will take us about half an hour to make them," Nagayan finished explaining to the two.

Aiba and Kimeru nodded. "That's all the time we need," Kimeru answered with a smile.

-break-

After breakfast, Takigawa brought the tray down and returned not long after and helped Shirota downstairs and out to the backyard where Q and Pearl were. Both Takigawa and Shirota settled themselves down on the grass as Takigawa took Q onto his lap as Pearl was on Shirota's chest, pinning the boy to the ground and licking his face playfully.

"STOP IT! THAT TICKLES!" Shirota exclaimed.

-break-

"Uh...Kime-nii...is smoke really supposed to come out of the oven?" Aiba asked as he stepped back from the oven.

Kimeru groaned. "I'm going to get the fire extinguisher…" he muttered.

-break-

The guinea pigs managed to get out of the cage and join the two Tezuka actors out in the backyard. Shirota, who had opted to remain lying down on the ground after Takigawa had gently plucked Pearl from him, was quickly invaded by Momo and Echizen, who wanted to play with Shirota and secretly slipped under his shirt, moving around, causing the boy to explode into another fit of laughter.

Takigawa laughed at the sight as Tezuka and Fuji moved onto the man's shoulders, happily watching as well.

-break-

After about an hour and a half later, Kimeru, Nagayan and Aiba sat the living room.

"Well...after much work we managed to finish before lunch..." Nagayan muttered.

"Aa...sorry for almost burning the kitchen down, Nagayan-senpai…" Aiba said.

"It's fine. It was your first time to make brownies...though it's funny that you didn't burn the cake..." Nagayan told him.

Aiba chuckled. "That's because I learned how to bake chocolate cakes back in senior high," he answered.

Kimeru grinned. "Oh well, I guess it's time to get back home. Thanks for the help Nagayan."

Nagayan smiled at them. "No problem."

-break-

"I think I'll start on lunch~" Takigawa announced as he set Pearl down with Q, Tezuka and Fuji still on his shoulders.

"WAIT! I WANT-TO-HELP!" Shirota called, his hands flying around to try and catch Momo and Echizen.

Takigawa stopped and turned around, bending down as he looked over to Fuji. "Would you mind?" he inquired. Tezuka gave a squeak as the two immediately came out of hiding and approached Takigawa's waiting hand. "I'll put them in their cage," he said, getting to his feet and moved to head into the house. "Then I'll see what you can do to help me in the kitchen, okay?"

Shirota pushed himself up. "HAI~"

-break-

As soon as the car was in the driveway, Aiba swore that he was ready to puke. "Honestly Kime-nii...you drive too fast!" he said.

Kimeru grinned. "It's not fast. That would be my moderate speed. Now come on Aibacchin~ let's surprise the two."

"Give me five minutes to let my stomach stop making back flips..." Aiba answered.

-break-

Shirota was in the kitchen sitting down at the table there, his leg propped up on the opposite chair as he was busy coating some mozzarella in egg, flour and bread crumbs as Takigawa was at the counter, preparing some chicken fingers.

-break-

Kimeru quietly opened the door as he and Aiba slipped in. "I think they're in the kitchen..." he said quietly.

Aiba nodded as he placed two boxes at the table in the corner of the living room. "I don't think they'll notice that till after lunch," the younger of the two said.

Kimeru nodded. "Can't wait to see their reactions," he said with a grin.

-break-

Takigawa had just finished cooking the chicken fingers and set them on a serving plate before Shirota had handed out a serving plate of his own. "Mozzarella sticks waiting to be cooked, tou-san," he said.

Takigawa took them nodding. "Arigatou," he said, taking the plate and proceeding to cook them in batches.

Kimeru nodded at Aiba before opening the front door again. "We're back!" he called out before closing the door.

Both of them headed to the kitchen. "Already started on lunch?" Aiba asked as he looked inside.

"Welcome back!" Shirota called before turning to Aiba, nodding. "Aa. We're almost finished, too," he said.

"Anything we can help with?" Kimeru asked.

Takigawa and Shirota looked at one another before the former replied, "No, we've got it covered."

"Ok. I'm going to take a shower then!" Aiba said with a smile before heading upstairs.

Kimeru nodded. "I'll just be in the living room if you need me."

"Hai~" the two replied as Takigawa finished with the mozzarella sticks and Shirota cleaned up his work area. It wasn't long before Takigawa had set the food on the counter before helping Shirota to the sink to wash their hands. When that was done, Takigawa brought Shirota out to the living room lowering him into a couch.

"There we go..." Takigawa said before turning to Kimeru. "Mind helping me to bring out the food, Kime?" he asked.

Kimeru nodded as he put down the magazine he was reading. "Sure let's go," he said as he stood up and followed Takigawa to the kitchen.

Aiba arrived in the living room and smiled. "Oi, Yuu...don't eat too much. You should have room for dessert later," he said.

Shirota looked over to Aiba, blinking before nodding slowly. "A...Aa..." he replied.

Having noticed that the two other people in the house would be in the kitchen for a few more minutes, Aiba smirked at Shirota. "Do you remember what today is?" he asked.

Shirota thought for a few moments. "Valentine's Day," he answered with a smile.

"Exactly..." Aiba said with a smile. "Happy Valentine's day, Yuu," he greeted before leaning forward to kiss Shirota.

Kimeru, who just took one step out of the kitchen, retreated inside again. "Let's give them a few more minutes..." he told Takigawa.

Takigawa nodded. "While we're on the subject..." he said. "Happy Valentine's Day to you too, Kime," he said quietly, moving forward to kiss Kimeru.

Kimeru smiled as soon as he and Takigawa parted, "Happy Valentine's Day..." he said quietly. "And I have something for you but you have to wait until after lunch to get it," he teased.

"Was this the reason why you went off to Nagayan's earlier?" Takigawa inquired slyly.

Kimeru chuckled. "Yes, that would be about right," he said. "After all, it wouldn't be a surprise if you already knew about it before we made it," he paused before looking at the door. "Shall we interrupt their little make out session, now?" he asked.

Takigawa nodded. "After you, then," he said, gesturing to the doorway.

Kimeru nodded before stepping out of the kitchen. He looked at the two and cleared his throat, effectively catching their attention and causing them to pull apart.

"S-Sorry about that," Aiba said sheepishly.

Kimeru shook his head. "Understandable," he said with a grin before heading over to them. "Lunch is ready."

Shirota grinned before he spotted the food. "Hope you guys enjoy it," he said.

"Shirota prepared the mozzarella sticks himself, so don't be shy and try some," Takigawa added as he set the table up for them.

"And we have chocolate cake as dessert later," Aiba announced before starting to eat as well.

Shirota choked on a chicken finger before turning to Aiba. "CHOCOLATE?" he repeated, grinning as he returned to his food. "Hai~"

Takigawa shook his head, taking a mozzarella stick and biting it.

Aiba nodded as he looked up from his food. "Aa. Kaa-san made it," he said as he looked at Kimeru who twitched when he heard how Aiba referred to him.

Takigawa smiled, pulling Kimeru to him and kissed him on the temple. "I thought you were fine with that, Kime," Takigawa reasoned.

"I'm just not...used to it I guess..." Kimeru said with a sigh. "But it's fine with me if you guys want to call me that," he added with a smile. "Just not in public!"

Aiba chuckled. "Of course...kaa-san."

Shirota nodded. "Yokai!" he said. "We know when to call you tou-san and kaa-san," he added with a warm smile.

Kimeru chuckled at Shirota's enthusiasm. "Now that it's settled go finish your food so that you can have some cake," he said.

"Don't forget the brownies!" Aiba added.

Kimeru nodded. "Aa, and Hiro's brownies."

"I hope you didn't burn anything..." Shirota stated off-handedly to Aiba as he took another mozzarella stick and fed it into his mouth.

"I almost did..." Aiba admitted sheepishly. "Good thing Kaa-san had a fire extinguisher ready."

Kimeru nodded. "It's amazing how he could burn something in just 3 minutes."

"The only thing Hiroki's made before is cake," Shirota explained. "Baking anything else will most likely be a disaster without the right help with him."

Aiba chuckled. "Yes. I admit that much."

Kimeru grinned. "And I personally experienced that disaster."

"I wonder what would've happened if you never asked for cooking lessons..." Takigawa pondered out loud.

"Then I wouldn't have been able to help out much during the times you were injured and not to mention that I would not have survived half of my concert tours," Kimeru said with a grin. "Even the power of instant noodles couldn't help me back then."

"But you forgot how to cook all over again, though..." Takigawa pointed out. "When we met again during the Myu orientation..."

"You can blame my manager for spoiling me once he found out that I almost fell asleep while preparing something," Kimeru said with a chuckle. "After that certain incident he never let me near a stove again."

Takigawa smirked as he reached out for his last mozzarella stick. "That's-"

"Ne Hiroki, where's dessert?" Shirota interrupted, looking around.

Aiba chuckled. "Right here," he answered as he gestured to the box by the room.

"And the cake's in the fridge. Let me get it," Kimeru added as he stood up for a while, coming back moments later with another box.

Shirota looked from one box to the other, deciding which one to have first.

"Oi, don't go solo and finish everything," Takigawa warned him as he took the cake box from Kimeru and popped it open.

Shirota frowned. "I didn't say anything!" he said defensively.

Kimeru chuckled when he saw this. "It's okay, Eiji...I'm sure I made it big enough for everyone to have as much as he likes," he said.

Aiba nodded. "And there are a lot of brownies as well," he added.

"Wait a minute..." Shirota looked over at the boxes. "Giving chocolate on Valentine's..." he said, smiling as he pecked Aiba on the cheek. "Sankyu, Aibacchin," he stated.

Takigawa chuckled. "Aa." He turned to Kimeru. "Shiropon and I will have to return the favor next month," he said, kissing Kimeru on the cheek as well.

Kimeru grinned, "Took the two of you long enough," he teased.

"We were busy preparing lunch to worry about things like that," Shirota argued as he picked a brownie from the box, examined it for a second before taking a bite out of it.

"Which is incredible as always," Kimeru said as he patted Takigawa on the shoulder.

Aiba nodded in agreement. "That's true...at least you two didn't almost burn the kitchen down."

Takigawa set the box of cake on the table before he got to his feet. "Domo. And I believe Shiropon and I have been cooking long enough to know how to avoid that," he said. "I'll just get some things so we can enjoy the cake properly," he added before moving back into the kitchen.

Kimeru grinned. "When you bake, you're more prone to burning something," he informed them.

"I could see that..." Aiba muttered.

Takigawa returned. "Then... I suppose I would've already burnt something at least _once_ in these past years I've been cooking?" he said as he sat back down, setting the plates and forks beside the box before he took a knife and cut himself a slice, transferring it to a small plate.

"Well...that would have to be because you have been born with the skills of a chef," Kimeru said smugly. "Just so happens that normal people like me have to work hard to get those skills."

"People like me too!" Aiba said as he raised his hand.

"And me... I guess..." Shirota said off-handedly. "Ne tou-san, can I have a slice of cake please?" he asked.

Takigawa nodded, handing over his untouched slice to the second Tezuka actor before he moved to cut another slice from the cake.

"You do have to be careful with that since the chocolate icing is much about half the thickness of the cake itself since someone over here got too carried away with the cake," Kimeru said with a grin.

Takigawa nodded. "Shiropon will be hyper after he takes a slice, is that what you're saying?" he inquired.

Kimeru nodded. "You got it."

"E-to...I only did it since I knew that Yuu likes chocolate..." Aiba said sheepishly.

"What's wrong with having a thick icing?" Shirota inquired, his slice of cake already half-consumed, a little of the said icing covering his mouth.

"Nothing," Kimeru answered. "It's just that people don't usually make thick icing...especially something this thick..." he said as he cut himself a slice of the cake to emphasize his point.

Aiba grinned. "It's worth doing since it's a special day," he answered.

"I agree!" Shirota said, taking another bite from his slice eagerly.

Takigawa smiled. "At this rate, I don't think Shirota will remember that he's injured," he stated. "All that sugar will have to come out eventually."

"As long as he doesn't start bouncing off the walls then I wouldn't mind," Kimeru said with a shrug as he took a bite from his share of the cake.

Aiba, already finished with one slice, reached out for another.

"Why do I feel that Aiba will be joining in on the hyper-ness in a while?" Kimeru muttered.

Shirota held out his empty plate. "I want another slice too!" he declared, licking off the icing around his mouth.

"With him getting a second slice, it's to be expected, _kaa-san_," Takigawa teased.

Kimeru chuckled. "Well then, we just have to watch after them ne, tou-san?" he said with a grin.

Takigawa nodded. "That seems to be the only way," he replied, taking another bite off his own slice.

After more than half of the cake has been consumed Kimeru had brought the plates to the kitchen to be taken cared off. He went back for the cake to store it in the fridge before settling on the armrest of the chair where Takigawa was seated.

"Kaa-san...you sure like sitting on armrest…" Aiba observed.

Kimeru chuckled. "That's just because Eiji likes sitting in one seater chairs," he explained.

Takigawa smirked before pulling Kimeru onto his lap. "You haven't really occupied this seat very often," he commented.

A blush immediately appeared on Kimeru's cheek as he was pulled onto Takigawa's lap. "E-Eiji!" he exclaimed.

Aiba chuckled, "Parent moments~" he teased.

"Uncomfortable for you?" Takigawa inquired, wrapping his arms around Kimeru's waist.

Kimeru's blush intensified as Takigawa did this. "N-no... It's fine…" he managed to say.

Aiba fought down his laughter, suddenly remembering a certain moment that happened before. _'Yep...tou-san is an expert when it comes to seducing kaa-san,'_ he thought.

Takigawa nodded in satisfaction.

"One of these days I want to go to an outing with everybody..." Shirota suggested, taking the pillow beside him and hugging it.

Kimeru thought for a moment. "Well...we could go on another outing...after you guys heal up, that is," he said.

"But I don't want to wait that long!" Shirota whined.

Takigawa looked over to Shirota and frowned. "It's not that we don't mind... We just feel that you should focus on recovering from your injuries before you think of doing anything extreme..."

"What's extreme about going out for a while?" Shirota reasoned. "I'm getting tired of just sitting around and having to depend on somebody to get around all the time..."

"We could go and visit the myu practices next week...I'm sure Ueshima-sensei wouldn't mind," Aiba suggested.

Takigawa shrugged. "Honestly..." he muttered.

"I want to try moving around on my own," Shirota declared.

"Don't you think it's too early for that?" Takigawa reasoned.

"Heck no!" Shirota fired back. "I told you, I don't want to keep being dependent on someone all the time!"

Aiba and Kimeru looked at the two as they talked. "We have crutches..." Aiba said.

Shirota turned to Aiba. "That's exactly my point," he said.

Takigawa sighed. "I won't-"

"I'll take full responsibility if something bad happens, don't worry," Shirota cut in. "If and when it does, I won't complain about anything until the cast is ready to come off and I can move around with the crutches again," he said.

"I don't think I like the idea of something bad happening..." Aiba said.

"I'm fine with it if you promise to be careful, Shirotan," Kimeru said with a smile.

Shirota nodded to Kimeru. "I will."

Takigawa sighed. "Fine, I'll agree to it as well."

Kimeru kissed Takigawa on the cheek. "Everything's going to be fine, Eiji," he said. "Besides...you know these two, they can't sit still for long periods of time."

Aiba nodded. "Aa." he said in agreement.

Takigawa took a moment to look over to the second generation actors and nodded. "That's true..."

Shirota smiled. "Yosh!" he cheered.

Aiba smiled and patted Shirota on the shoulder while Kimeru chuckled.

"Then, I want to-" Shirota was cut off when he started laughing, his hands flying to his shirt before plucking out Echizen with his hat still on. "A-re?" What are you doing out?" he inquired.

Aiba blinked as he looked at Echizen. "That must mean that Momo got out too..." he said as he looked around. "But I don't see him anywhere..."

"He must be in the kitchen," Kimeru said.

"Not that he'd be able to get any food so easily, though..." Shirota pointed out as he stroked Echizen.

Kimeru grinned. "But I have to hand it to Momo, he lives up to his name…" he said as he gestured to a Momo who did come from the Kitchen and was now heading towards them.

"What about Tezuka and Fuji, then?" Shirota inquired.

Takigawa pointed to the cage. "They're snuggled up there, enjoying their time alone," he explained.

Aiba looked over at the cage and sure enough he saw the two snuggled up next to one another. He smiled. "Well, it looks like the kids know when to leave their parents alone," he said.

"Still, sneaking up on me like that..." Shirota said, shaking his head as he looked over to Echizen. "You're not supposed to do that," he scolded.

"They must miss you as a playmate," Aiba said as he took Momo from the floor and placed him on his lap.

"That's no excuse, I just played with them out in the backyard earlier this morning," Shirota reasoned.

"You did?" Aiba asked. "This just means that they like playing with you," he said with a smile. "Right Momo?" Momo responded by running up Shirota's shoulder and nuzzling him on the neck.

Shirota resigned to his fate as Echizen jumped out of his grasp and occupied his other shoulder, also nuzzling him on the neck. The boy cringed but found it relaxing after a while. "Why do I get the feeling that when I'm out of this cast I'll be bombarded with these guys even more?"

Aiba chuckled. "Because that's exactly what's going to happen," he answered.

Shirota grumbled. "And to think I brought Tezuka home for _you_ to play with..." he muttered. "So why do I get stuck being the one they hang out with?"

"That I don't know," Aiba answered as he watched Echizen and Momo play around Shirota a bit more.

+++February 21, 2007+++

For the next few days, Shirota began using the crutches to get around the house. It didn't take long before he could manage the task without much difficulty. They had agreed to go to the Myu practices the following week after Valentine's to check up on the rest of their friends.

The day arrived. The four were in Takigawa and Kimeru's car - Takigawa driving, Kimeru in the front seat, and Aiba and Shirota were in back. "So we've agreed, alright?" Takigawa called from the driver's seat. "No funny business when we're there, Shiropon."

"Hai, hai..." Shirota replied.

Aiba smiled. "I'm sure nothing bad will happen if you just stay in one place and be careful, Yuu," he said. "...and keep away from stairs and edges of the stage."

Shirota frowned, looking over to Aiba. "If I need to stay in one place, what's the point of us going in the first place?" he argued.

"That's enough you two. We're here," Kimeru announced.

Takigawa parked the car before the four of them got out. Takigawa had called up Ueshima-sensei that morning to ask where practice was being held, and had given him directions to get there. At the moment, the cast was preparing for Dream Live 4th. They entered the venue from the side and took in the size of the stage before Ueshima approached them.

"Glad that you decided to come visit!" he greeted brightly.

Takigawa nodded. "We're happy that you could accommodate us."

Shirota grinned. "How're practices coming along?"

"Kimeru?" A familiar voice called out.

Kimeru looked around. "Furukawa? I can't believe it!" he exclaimed as he saw his friend approach him.

"And you're with your hubby," Furukawa teased, earning a playful punch from Kimeru.

"Ah, Furukawa-kun here will be filling in for Aiba-kun while he's still out of commission," Ueshima explained, patting Furukawa on the shoulder. "I trust you'll be back in time for the Second Service show with Rikkai, Aiba-kun?"

"Looks like this time around you're the senpai, Aiba-kun," Furukawa said with a smile.

Aiba smiled back. "Looks like it," he said.

"Ne Ueshima-sensei~ maybe I could take Kime and Takigawa backstage for a while? I'm sure Fudomine would like to see them as well," Furukawa suggested.

Ueshima nodded. "Go right ahead," he replied. "I'll have to go out and get something for a bit. So enjoy your visit!"

Shirota and the others bid a good-bye to the Myu director as he left. "Saa, what should we-"

"Shirota-kun?"

Shirota turned and widened his eyes in realization. "AHHH! Kentarou-kun!" he exclaimed.

Kentarou broke into a grin as he approached. "I figured it was you," he replied. "Come to visit the practice?"

Shirota nodded. "Aa. So I hear you've been cast as Sanada?" he said conversationally.

Kentarou nodded. "It seems so. And believe it or not, Yagami-san's doing Yukimura."

"Yukimura?" Aiba asked. "I'm not surprised," he said with a chuckle.

"We'll see you two in a bit!" Kimeru shouted as he and Takigawa was dragged off to the backstage by Furukawa.

"And don't get careless, Shirotan!" Takigawa called before they disappeared backstage.

Shirota chuckled. "That means you two have some duets, right?" he teased.

"Yes actually, we have one," Kentaro said with a grin.

"Aiba-senpai!" The rest of the third cast called out from the stage area. Aiba waved at them as they rushed towards them with a few other cast it tow.

"A-re? Isn't that Shirota-kun?" a voice called out.

Shirota spotted the person right away. "Irei-kun, you're here too," he said brightly.

"This is all your fault!" Various third cast members said as they pointed at Minami.

"Guys...It's fine..." Aiba said with a smile. "I'll be back within the year anyway," he added but he noticed that no one was really listening to him since they started chasing Minami around the area. "So, Sakurada-kun...how's Kunisuke?" he asked the third cast Echizen.

"He's doing great. I bet he's the fattest guinea pig you will ever see in your lifetime senpai," Sakurada answered.

Shirota turned to the Seigaku cast members that were chasing Minami around. "Oi, don't blame Minami-kun for what happened!" he shouted, causing some of them to stop their pursuit. Shirota nodded to the third cast Tezuka. "If it weren't for him, Hiroki might not have been able to graduate with you guys as he planned," he added. "And we wouldn't be here visiting."

Minami nodded at Shirota's words. The third cast looked at him before moving back towards the two second generation actors.

Aiba grinned. "So how are things?" he asked.

"It looks like this Dream Live will be quite interesting," Nakayama noted, fixing his prop Inui glasses.

"Working with the other casts is always exciting," Seto added.

Shirota smiled. "Yeah, Dream Lives are always so interesting that way."

"Maybe you can Aiba-kun," Ueshima told them as he re-joined the group.

Shirota turned to Ueshima. "That was a quick trip..." he commented.

"We've gotten used to that," Minami noted.

"We were actually hoping that you would say that, Aiba-senpai," Sakurada started as he dragged Aiba to the stage.

"W-Wait! I want to stay with-" he was cut off as the rest of the Seigaku regulars helped Sakurada in getting Aiba to stage where some of the other cast members were.

Shirota chuckled. "I'll be here watching you, then!" he called, moving himself to one of the front row seats, easing himself to sit down.

The third cast Seigaku regulars gathered around Aiba and showed him a few moves and later on taught him some of the new songs.

"A-re? Dream Maker?" Aiba asked as he looked at the group.

"Aa. Ueshima-sensei was wondering if you wanted to do it with Minami," Sakurada answered.

"But Furukawa-"

"Was the one who suggested it," Minami cut off.

"It's a Tezuka-Fuji duet that Kimeru-senpai and Ohkuchi-senpai did back in More Than Limit," Takiguchi explained as KENN arrived.

"Oh, that song?" he said, grinning. "Yeah. It would have been interesting if Takigawa-senpai could've made it for that show..."

Aiba nodded. "Aa. I'm sure it would have...speaking of...where are they?" he asked.

"I think they're somewhere in the backstage," Sakurada answered as he looked around.

"Backstage?" Aiba asked before looking at his watch. "I think I should look for them, will that be okay, Yuu?" he asked.

Shirota nodded. "Go right ahead, I'll be fine," he said with a smile.

Aiba nodded. "Keep out of danger, Yuu," he said before heading to the backstage, the other cast members in tow to help with the hunt.

Shirota waved as they went off before Irei took a seat beside him.

"Shirota-kun, do you want to take a look on-stage for a while?" he suggested.

Shirota looked over to him. "What's there to see?" he inquired.

"I'm sure you miss being on-stage. You of all people who's used to being in musicals, after all," Irei coaxed.

Shirota smiled fondly, chuckling. "Aa..." He looked over to the stage for a minute before taking his crutches before getting to his feet. "Maybe just for a bit."

Irei nodded, getting to his feet as well. "Yosh! Then let me direct you to the stairs."

Aiba looked around the backstage and noticed some Fudomine people near the dressing rooms. "A-re? What's going-"

"AIBA! LET US OUT!" Kimeru's voice came from the dressing room.

Furukawa chuckled. "Don't even think about it...we still haven't gotten what we want," he said with an evil smile.

Aiba, unfazed by the smile thanks to the fact that he also uses it from time to time, looked over to them. "And what is that?" he asked.

"That would be a little TakiKime moment of course! Right, Fudomine?" YOH asked his group.

"TACHIBANA-SAN!" they chorused in reply.

Takigawa shrugged. "They're still in character, those Fudomine boys..." he muttered, shaking his head as he leaned back on the wall.

-break-

"...then the stairs here move from side to side," Irei explained as he guided Shirota around the stage. "It's to create the stairs at the center, or to reveal the entrance behind it."

Shirota nodded. "Sugoi..." he said, looking around. "And it's quite spacious, isn't it?"

Irei nodded. "Aa. Since Seigaku and Rikkai teams are complete, we also have most of Hyoutei, and some from the other schools as well."

-break-

Aiba chuckled. "You might as well just give them what they want so that you could get out. It's the fastest way," he said as Furukawa nodded at him.

Kimeru sighed before looking at Takigawa. "Fine… as long as this doesn't get out in the internet..." he muttered as he reached a hand out to Takigawa. "Shall we get this over with?" he asked.

Takigawa looked over to Kimeru, pushing himself off the wall and took his hand. "If we need to," he said with a small smile.

-break-

Shirota positioned himself in front of one of the stairs as he watched Irei execute a routine from one of the group dances. He smiled fondly. _'It'd be nice to do this again... Another Myu...'_ he thought to himself.

Irei finished the routine and turned to Shirota. "What did you think?" he inquired, a bit tired already.

Shirota grinned. "It was great," he said encouragingly.

Irei nodded. "I'll just go and get myself a drink," he announced, heading off to the backstage.

"Irei, look out for your racket!" Shirota warned as Irei stepped over his prop racket, slipping on it before falling back, accidentally bumping into Shirota, who lost his balance and fall backwards to the stairs, his head colliding with one of the steps as his crutches echoed as they hit the floor beside him.

After getting to his feet, Irei rushed over to Shirota, shaking him. "OI, SHIROTA!" he called.

Kentarou, who had forgotten something, passed by the stage and saw Irei there. "What's-"

"GET AIBA HERE! NOW!" Irei shouted as soon as he spotted Kentarou approach.

The Sanada actor nodded before turning on his heel and ran off backstage in search of the second cast Fuji.

-break-

Aiba, whose ear was pressed on the door of the dressing room along with some others, were trying to listen to what was going on inside.

"No good...all I hear are moans…" Fujiwara muttered.

"That's the point Fu-"

"AIBA! SHIROTA'S-" Kentarou yelled as he spotted Aiba who pulled back and ran at breakneck speed the moment he heard Shirota's name.

He turned a corner and arrived at the stage. "YUU!" he shouted as he approached the unconscious Tezuka actor.

Kimeru and Takigawa followed moments later, having been let out when Aiba ran. "What happened?" Takigawa demanded as soon as he saw the unconscious boy on the stairs.

Irei fell back, looking over to Shirota. "It was an accident..." he answered as he picked up his prop racket. "I slipped on this when I was going to go and get some water and bumped into Shirota..." he explained feebly.

Aiba glared at Irei. "He was at the audience area! How did he get on the stage?" he demanded.

Kimeru placed a hand on his shoulder. "Aiba, it was an accident. Don't go blaming Irei-kun, he didn't want this to happen," he said firmly as he looked at Shirota who was now being checked by Ueshima. "How is he? Do we need to call an ambulance?" he asked.

Ueshima kneeled back and shook his head. "He seems to be fine. Just a minor concussion," he explained before getting to his feet. "He'll come to in a few minutes."

Takigawa sighed. "Let's transfer him over backstage..." he suggested.

"There's a couch in one of the dressing rooms," Minami said.

Takigawa nodded. "That's fine."

The cast members helped in transferring Shirota to the dressing room and placed him on the couch. Aiba remained quiet during the process, opting not to say anything in case he snaps at someone.

"You guys should head off to practice," Takigawa said, nodding to them. "We'll look after Shirotan here."

"But-" Minami began.

"It's fine. We'll keep you informed," Takigawa interjected.

The rest of the cast filtered out of the room and after a while only Takigawa, Kimeru, Aiba and Shirota remained in the dressing room. Aiba slumped down to the floor. "This just had to happen..." he muttered under his breath.

"Actually... I was expecting something like this to happen..." Takigawa admitted. "We couldn't avoid Shirota wanting to move around on his own, especially in this type of environment that he misses..."

"Ueshima-sensei said that he'll be fine, Aiba. So you don't need to be so down about it. Lighten up, ne?" Kimeru said.

"How can you expect me to lighten up when he just got into an accident? An accident, I should stress, that could have been clearly avoided if I just stayed with him?" Aiba snapped. Kimeru stepped back in surprise. "G-Gomen Kime-nii..." Aiba said immediately, realizing what he did.

Kimeru shook his head. "I-It's fine, Aiba."

Shirota moaned, turning his head before his eyes slowly snapped open, blinking rapidly before he brought a hand to his head. "Wha... What happened..?"

Takigawa placed a hand over the boy's chest to prevent him from getting up. "Just relax, Shirotan. You hit your head pretty hard, it seems..." he explained quietly.

Aiba stood up and went over to him, he sighed. "We're going home," he said as he looked at the two older men.

Takigawa looked over to Kimeru before nodding over to Aiba. "Kimeru, can you get the crutches, please?" he requested before looking over to Shirota. "C'mon, I'm carrying you to the car."

Shirota looked over to the three for a minute before hanging his head in defeat, nodding silently to the first generation Tezuka actor.

Aiba was silent from then on until they arrived back at their place where he slumped down on the couch the minute they arrived back. Kimeru looked at him and sighed before moving to the kitchen to fix up a snack for them. As soon as Takigawa had brought in Shirota to the living room with him and eased him on the couch, Aiba glared at him. "Why couldn't have you just stayed in the audience area?" he asked as Takigawa went upstairs to get something.

Shirota closed his eyes, leaning back. "Nothing would've happened if Irei didn't slip on his racket," Shirota reasoned.

"Wrong," Aiba said sharply. "Nothing would have happened if you have at least waited for one of us to come back and go with you on stage. You do realize how accident prone you are at this stage, don't you?" he added.

Shirota opened his eyes. He took a pillow from beside him and threw it to the open space in front of them in frustration, knocking down a glass on the coffee table in the process. "I'M NOT A 2-YEAR OLD THAT NEEDS ANY OF YOU TO LOOK AFTER ME ALL THE TIME!" he shouted.

Aiba's anger flared up at this action. "You don't know what the hell you're talking about! You have a broken leg for crying out loud! You can't even move around properly without the danger of falling over!" he shouted as he stood.

-break-

Kimeru jumped when he heard a glass shatter from the living room followed by Shirota's loud voice. _'W-what the heck is going on there?'_ he thought as he held on to the counter. When he heard Aiba answer back he was starting to panic. "Shit…" he muttered as he moved to go outside.

-break-

Takigawa was getting some pillows before he heard the ruckus going on. _'That doesn't sound good...'_ he thought before he rushed out of the room and headed downstairs.

-break-

Shirota looked over to Aiba. "I already said I'd take responsibility if something happened!" he yelled. "Blame me for being jealous of you for being able to walk around like that!" Shirota took the other pillow on his other side. "I don't want to keep on being dependent on you, Kime-nii or Eiji-nii!"

"You don't have a choice, Yuu!" Aiba yelled back. "Why can't you just wait for a few more freaking months?" he eyed the pillow carefully, assessing if Shirota will throw it or not. "Why can't you just listen to us?"

-break-

Kimeru ran out of the kitchen at the same time that Takigawa reached the foot of the stairs.

Shirota's hands were trembling. "Why _don't_ I have a choice?" he demanded quietly. "Why can't I do what _I_ want to do once in a while?"

"Do what you want? Do you honestly think that _I_ can do what I want even if I can walk around?" Aiba asked. "And you don't have a choice because apparently if you're left alone in this state you seem to be an accident magnet! What happened to you isn't some kind of joke, Yuu! You could have been seriously injured again!"

Takigawa frowned as he approached them. "Hey, this is getting out of-"

"THEN LEAVE ME ALONE, THEN!" Shirota interjected angrily, looking over to Takigawa and Kimeru. "ALL OF YOU!" He turned his gaze back to Aiba. "If that's what you really think, then don't make me a burden for you! I'll prove to you that I'll be just fine on my own!"

"IF THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT THEN I WOULD HAVE ALREADY LEFT THE MOMENT THAT I KNEW THAT YOU COULDN'T WALK ON YOUR OWN!" Aiba yelled, glaring at Shirota in full force. "AND AFTER THAT CERTAIN STUNT YOU HONESTLY THINK THAT I'M GOING TO LEAVE YOU ALONE? AND THEN WHAT YUU? THEN WHAT?"

Shirota shut his eyes. "I MADE IT FINE WITHOUT YOU BEFORE AND I CAN SURE AS HELL SURVIVE EVEN IF YOU WEREN'T AROUND!" he shouted angrily. "DAMN IT, HIROKI... MAYBE THINGS WOULD EVEN BE _BETTER_ IF YOU WEREN'T AROUND TO CONSTANTLY NAG ME ABOUT THE THINGS _YOU_ THINK I CAN'T DO!"

Shirota's eyes snapped open before he glared over to Aiba. "JUST BECAUSE I GET INTO AN ACCIDENT _ONCE_ WHEN I'M ON MY OWN DOESN'T MEAN IT'LL ALWAYS HAPPEN! I CAN DO JUST FINE ON MY OWN WITHOUT ANY OF YOUR HELP! HECK, I MIGHT EVEN DO BETTER ON MY OWN WITHOUT ANY OF YOU HINDERING ME FROM HOW I WANT TO LIVE MY LIFE! I HAVE NO PROBLEMS TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR MY ACTIONS... BESIDES, I DON'T THINK ANY OF YOU _REALLY_ CARE!" Shirota took a moment to look over to Takigawa and Kimeru as well.

Takigawa groaned. "Shirota, will you calm down and-"

"I DON'T NEED HELP FROM _ANY_ OF YOU!" Shirota cut in, looking back and pointing over to Aiba. "ESPECIALLY FROM _YOU_, HIROKI!"

Aiba stood there, stunned from what he heard. Tears started to form in his eyes. "Fine then…" he said quietly, "You don't need my help, then fine." He grabbed the bag that he had brought earlier that contained all his important possessions that he always brought along with him.

He paused a bit and looked at arm that was held up by a sling and a certain object caught his eye. His face showed a blank expression as he reached up with his free hand and took off that object: his ring. "Then I guess...you won't need me with you anymore then..." he whispered softly but it loud enough for the others to hear. He placed the gold band on the coffee table before moving to the door. "Good-bye, Yuu..." he said as he opened the door and left, tears now flowing freely down his cheeks.

Takigawa's eyes widened as he watched Aiba leave before turning to Shirota. "Tell me that didn't just happen..." he said, taking hold of Kimeru's arm.

Shirota threw the pillow he was holding down to the ground in frustration. _'Stupid Hiroki...'_ he thought angrily.

Kimeru grit his teeth in anger, he pulled away from Takigawa and approached Shirota. He stopped in front of him for a few seconds before slapping him with all his might. "I can't believe you..." he said as fought back the tears that were clouding up his vision. "I'm going after Hiroki...I can't stand this kind of childishness," he said in anger. "Of all people you could have told that to...you just had to tell that to the person who loves you the most."

"Shirota Yuu...did you even hear what you just said?" he asked quietly. "You could have said that to me... to Eiji...but you just had to do it to Hiroki..." he then looked at the ring that Aiba left and picked it up. "Here," he said as he forced the ring into Shirota's hand. "I hope you realize what you just lost." With that Kimeru also took his bag and went out of the house to go after Aiba.

Shirota brought a hand up to his cheek where Kimeru slapped him, confused. It wasn't until the ring was forced into his hand did his mind start to rapidly regret what he had done. _'What have I...'_

**"I hope you realize what you just lost."**

Shirota's eyes were trained on Kimeru for the few moments he left the house before he looked back at the ring in his hand. He clenched his fist tightly, shutting his eyes as he brought his fist to his forehead, banging it repeatedly. "Idiot..." he muttered to himself.

Takigawa apprehensively approached Shirota and sat down beside him. "Shirotan..." he started quietly.

Shirota paused and turned to Takigawa. "You're still..."

Takigawa nodded, wrapping his arms around the younger boy. "Everything you said just now... Really hurt him..." he began. "But I know deep down you didn't really mean any of them..."

Shirota lowered his hand and opened it, gazing at the ring before tears started to form in his eyes. "I... I..." Unable to complete his sentence, he broke down into a crying fit in Takigawa's arms.

-break-

Kimeru got into the car and put the keys he managed to grab in the ignition. He drove around, looking for Aiba and found him at the bus stop just a few moments later. "Get in, Hiroki," he said as he stopped in front of the boy. Aiba wordlessly got into backseat of the car. Kimeru looked at him through the rearview mirror as he started driving again, heading to a random direction.

Soon after they arrived in an open area where there weren't any people. Kimeru got out from the driver's seat and went to the back seat with Aiba. "Aibacchin..." he whispered softly as he wrapped his arms around the boy.

Aiba, not able to hold his tears back anymore, broke down in Kimeru's arms. "Yuu..." he sobbed out, all the sadness, pain and most of all the feeling of lost, reflected in that one name. Kimeru held him tighter, unable to fight back his own tears.

-break-

When Takigawa had managed to calm Shirota down, he took the boy by the arms to face him. "Do you know what you need to do to fix all this?" he inquired softly.

Shirota clenched the ring again, nodding slowly. "Why aren't you-"

Takigawa's smile cut Shirota off. "I just happen to have gone through the same thing once before..." he said, placing a hand over Shirota's that was holding the ring. "Though not to the extent of this..." Takigawa sighed before training his eyes on Shirota's. "When our minds are clouded by thoughts like that, we tend to hurt those we love the most... I let go once... But I found out that I just couldn't live without him... So don't _you_ dare give up on Aibacchin, Shirotan..."

Shirota nodded firmly. "Arigatou, Eiji-nii..." he replied, a small smile appearing on his face.

-break-

Kimeru opened the door to his and Takigawa's place. It was the best place he could think of for both of them to stay in the meantime. After all, he didn't think Aiba would really appreciate going to a place he wasn't really familiar with, and the only place that fit the category was either Aiba's home or here. He was sure that Aiba doesn't want to face his family like this, that's why he went straight to their house, even if it's only just a few blocks away from where it all happened.

"Come on, Hiroki…let's get you upstairs for a while," he said as he took Aiba's hand and guided him upstairs after locking the front door.

Aiba nodded silently and let Kimeru lead him to the master bedroom to rest.

-break-

Standing, Takigawa was sure that Shirota would be alright for the time being before heading to the kitchen to fix up some dinner. While doing that, he pulled out his cellphone and called up Kimeru. _'I hope they've settled down somewhere...'_ he thought to himself as he brought the phone to his ear, waiting for Kimeru to pick up.

Kimeru was chopping some vegetables up when he felt he heard his phone ring. He looked at the caller and immediately put down the knife. "Eiji," he answered, "We're at our place…"

-break-

Shirota had gotten himself up after managing to locate the crutches and moved into the kitchen.

Takigawa set the grater down. "You're at our place?" he repeated, blinking for a moment. "I see... So how's Aibacchin holding up?" he inquired.

Shirota paused when he heard Takigawa's conversation with Kimeru. He knew that Takigawa did not repeat a reply for the sake of confusion. He smiled to himself before he moved to the door, Aiba's ring now safely in his breast pocket. _'I just hope I'm not too late...'_ he thought to himself as he reached the front door and struggled with it as he reached out to turn the knob and pull the door open while balancing himself.

Kimeru sighed. "I can't get him to stop crying, Eiji...he's really hurt," he said as he leaned on the counter. "How about Shirotan?"

Takigawa paused when he heard the door close. "Expect him to be there in 10 minutes. Depends how fast he decides to pace himself with those crutches, though..." he replied.

-break-

Aiba clutched the pillow closer to him. He miserably tried to pull himself together but to no avail as Shirota's words kept repeating in his head.

_**"MAYBE THINGS WOULD EVEN BE BETTER IF YOU WEREN'T AROUND TO CONSTANTLY NAG ME ABOUT THE THINGS YOU THINK I CAN'T DO! I DON'T NEED HELP FROM ANY OF YOU! ESPECIALLY FROM YOU, HIROKI!"**_

Fresh tears fell from his eyes once more.

-break-

At 10 minutes precisely, a knock came to the door. Shirota was out of breath; quite uncharacteristic of him, despite his massive amount of stamina from his days in Senior High. _'It's not easy going four blocks in crutches...'_he told himself as he waited for someone to answer the door.

Kimeru rushed to the door as soon as he heard the knock. He pulled the door open and looked at Shirota for a while before hugging him. "I'm sorry for slapping you and please don't ever do that again!" he said before pulling back. "Aibacchin's upstairs, come on. I'll help you up," he said as he held the door open for Shirota.

Shirota smiled softly as he went inside. "I need to thank you for doing that, Kime-nii..." he said. "Otherwise I would've done something I'd definitely regret doing..." he said before he looked over to the stairs. "And if it's alright with you, I'd like to head upstairs on my own," he added before he approached the stairs. Taking a deep breath, he set the crutches down by the base of the stairs and proceeded to make the trip up the steps slowly while holding onto the banister.

"Be careful," Kimeru reminded him as he watched Shirota slowly climb the stairs, letting out a sigh of relief as he reached the second floor. "I'll just be in the kitchen," he said as he nodded at Shirota and went to the kitchen to put away what he chopped. _'I won't be needing this...'_ he thought with a smile.

Shirota reached the second floor unscathed as he moved down the hall to the master bedroom, practically hopping while leaning on the wall for support. As soon as he reached the door, he found himself out of breath again as he knocked loudly on the door.

Aiba, startled by the loud knock, looked up at the door. "The door's open," he managed to say before slumping down again. He heard the door open and decided not to look since he was sure that it was Kimeru, unfortunately...it wasn't.

Shirota opened the door and peeked inside. "You know... If I was Kime-nii, I wouldn't've have bothered knocking and just came in since this was my house..." he said conversationally before he pushed the door open a bit more before hopping inside, smiling softly over to Aiba. "But since I'm just a guest here, it'd be courteous to knock, at the least."

Aiba sat up immediately when he heard Shirota speak. "Y-Yuu?" he said as he looked at Shirota.

Shirota nodded before hopping over to the bed, easing himself to sit down beside Aiba. "Gomen... For saying all those things earlier... Hontou ni gomen nasai..." he apologized.

Aiba looked at the pillow he was holding. "I'm sorry too..." he said quietly. "For...making you feel that I was holding you back in doing what you wanted."

Shirota rubbed the back of his head. "Looks like that little accident riled you up..." he said sadly. "But look, it was really just an accident..." he reasoned again. "On both my part and Irei's..."

Aiba nodded. "I know...I shouldn't have snapped at you like that...and I shouldn't have snapped at Kime-nii and Irei back then," he said before he shook his head. "But I guess what matters most is that you're okay."

Shirota smiled before he reached into his breast pocket. "You left something back at the house..." he said, taking Aiba's hand and slipped his ring back on the finger where it was supposed to be. He looked at the gold band and smiled, taking Aiba's hand in both of his own before looking up at Aiba, staring straight into his eyes. "Never _ever_leave this behind, Hiroki..." he stated crossly, laced with sincerity as Shirota leaned forward and took the boy's lips with his own in a kiss.

Aiba smiled as they parted. "Aa. I promise." he said quietly. He pulled back a bit and noticed something. "Yuu...your cheek is red..." he observed.

Shirota moved back and brought a hand to his cheek before grinning. "Somebody slapped me for being childish," he replied sheepishly. "If it weren't for him, I would've still been brooding over this whole episode..."

"I think I already have an idea who it is..." he said as he brought a hand up and placed it on Shirota's hand that was on his cheek. He sighed. "Let's not do this again, Yuu..."

"I know... I don't want to go through this a second time, either..." Shirota replied quietly.

After a few more minutes of companionable silence, Kimeru peeked through the door. "Glad to see the two of you back together," he said with a grin. "I'm just going to finish up downstairs and then we can head back to your place by car," he added before going downstairs again.

Shirota lowered his hand, grasping Aiba's and didn't want to let go anytime soon. He leaned his head on Aiba's shoulder. "Eiji-nii stayed with me earlier..." Shirota said quietly.

"Of course he did," Aiba said with a smile. "That's just how he is."

Shirota closed his eyes. "He said that I shouldn't give up on you... I remembered a promise you made... back when we were in Hokkaido..." he said, lifting his head and looking over to Aiba, frowning. "And you broke it earlier..."

Aiba sighed heavily. " I know...and I'm so sorry..." he said. "I shouldn't have done that but my emotions got the better of me," he explained.

It was at this moment that Shirota's phone rang. He jumped in surprise before fishing the device out. He checked the display and blinked. "A-re?" He answered it and brought it to his ear. "Eiji-nii?"

_"How long are you two going to stay in the room and apologize to each other to no end?"_ Takigawa inquired. _"I've got dinner waiting for us on the table here at your place."_

Shirota pulled the phone back in surprise. "Ehh?" _'How did he-'_

Aiba blinked as Shirota answered his phone. "Let me guess...Eiji-nii and something about dinner," he said

Shirota turned to Aiba and nodded before bringing the phone back to his ear. "W...We'll be there in a bit," he replied before ending the call, heaving a sigh of relief. "That surprised me..." he said, slipping his phone back into his pocket.

Aiba grinned. "Count on him to remind us of dinner," he said. "Then I guess it would be best to head back home, ne?"

Shirota nodded. "Kime-nii's taking his time finishing up downstairs, though..." he commented.

"He knows that we're also going to take time up here too..." Aiba responded with a smile.

Shirota groaned before he moved to get off the bed. "Let's get downstairs, then," he offered, getting up on his good food and balanced himself before hopping off to the door.

"I can't believe that you went up the stairs...I could have just come down, you know" Aiba said as he opened the door for him.

"Would you have come down if Kimeru was the one who came into the room?" Shirota defended as he made his way down the hall using the same method he used earlier before he got to the stairs.

"Want me to help you down the stairs?" Aiba asked as he glanced at the stairs.

Shirota looked over to Aiba before moving his attention to the stairs. "I think I can manage it..." he replied before gripping Aiba's shoulder. "But I would appreciate the help..." he added quietly.

Aiba nodded. "Alright then," he said as he took a step in front of Shirota so that the boy could shift a bit of his weight to him for support.

"I'll just wait for you two at the car," Kimeru said as he passed the stairs.

Shirota and Aiba worked together and eventually managed to get downstairs without any trouble. Shirota retrieved his crutches before they filed out of the house and moved to the car. As soon as they were all inside, Shirota nodded to Aiba. "Sankyu, Hiroki," he said with a smile.

Aiba nodded. "No problem," he said with a smile.

Kimeru started the car and smirked. "Hope you two put on those special seatbelts," he said before driving away.

Takigawa waited outside the house and checked his watch every now and then. It was only 5 minutes since he made the call to Shirota did a screech to the driveway divert his attention to the car that Kimeru had just parked there. He chuckled as he approached the backseat and opened the door, bending over and looking inside. "How was your ride here?" he inquired. "I see you had the sense of putting those on," he added, pointing to the seat belts they were sporting.

"After that event on the snowmobile back in Hokkaido, I didn't want to take any chances..." Shirota said, clutching onto the seat belt.

Aiba nodded in agreement, his hold on Shirota's arm not slackening.

"It couldn't have been that bad," Kimeru said with a grin as he got down from the driver's side.

"Well, come on, then. Let's get you two inside. I've got dinner waiting," Takigawa offered as he proceeded unbuckling the seat belts and stepped aside for Aiba to step out before assisting Shirota out and handed the boy his crutches before they all proceeded to head inside.

Kimeru nodded to the both of them before leading the four of them back in the house.

Aiba sat down on the couch as he sighed.

Shirota moved to the living room with Aiba, passing him before seating himself in another couch so he could elevate his leg. Upon doing so, he looked over to Aiba, tilting his head. "Something wrong, Hiroki?" he inquired.

Takigawa moved straight to the kitchen where he had prepared the trays and brought them out to the living room.

"Nothing," Aiba answered, "I just realized that a few minutes ago I thought that I wouldn't be coming back here anytime soon…"

"That's stupid Aibacchin, because whether or not you and Shirotan got over it today I would have still dragged you back by the evening," Kimeru said with a grin.

Takigawa set the trays down on the coffee table. "Either way, the two of you resolving this conflict yourselves was so much better," he added.

Shirota frowned, turning to Takigawa. "Eiji-nii, about what you said earlier about letting go... What ha-"

Takigawa forced the tray into Shirota's hands. "We can talk about that some other time. Saa, enjoy your dinner," he said hastily before moving back to the kitchen.

Kimeru, identifying Takigawa's evasion tactic, waited in the kitchen for his partner to arrive. When Takigawa came inside, Kimeru placed his arms around him. "Care to tell me what you're avoiding with Shiropon?" he asked.

Takigawa shrugged, wrapping his own arms around Kimeru. "It was a sensitive topic... I didn't want to bring it up again..." he replied quietly.

Kimeru thought for a minute before something came to his mind. "It's...about what happened during our senior year, isn't it?" he asked quietly.

Takigawa pulled Kimeru closer and nodded in confirmation.

Kimeru sighed as he subconsciously held onto Takigawa more firmly. "Eiji..." he started. "What we did back then...must have been the stupidest thing we have ever done..."

Takigawa shook his head. "It was... for the sake of pursuing your long-time ambition, after all..." he reasoned. "Ending things like that might have been the best choice at the time... Even if it meant... having to let go of one another..."

"We could have found our way around it. I could have still arrived at the position I'm in right now if I just didn't give up so easily…" Kimeru said. "But past is past...I did find my way back to you didn't I?" he asked softly as he pulled back to look at Takigawa.

Takigawa smiled softly, nodding. "And I to you..." he replied before leaning in for a kiss.

-break-

Shirota arranged the tray on his lap before he started eating dinner. "What was that all about..." he asked himself as he took a spoonful of the fruit salad.

"Something must have happened back then and he reluctantly remembered it when we had our little drama scene earlier," Aiba said with a shrug. "Where are they anyway?" he asked.

Shirota looked over to the kitchen, nodding. "Now that I think about it... Back when were were in second year in Senior High..." he turned to Aiba, frowning. "I remember that Kime-nii didn't show up for graduation..."

-break-

Kimeru chuckled as he pulled back. "Come on. Dinner awaits," he teased.

Takigawa nodded. "This time... I promise I won't let you go..." he said quietly, squeezing Kimeru's hand as he followed him outside into the living room.

"And I won't either," Kimeru replied before smiling over at the two on the couch.

Aiba blinked at them. "O...k..." he said as he looked from Takigawa to Kimeru. "Looks like Kaa-san and Tou-san had a little moment in the kitchen," he teased.

Takigawa moved to the table to retrieve a serving of food for him and Kimeru. "You could say that..." he replied off-handedly.

Kimeru walked over and ruffled Aiba's hair. "Don't talk as if you don't get those moments with Shirotan as well, Aibacchin," he said playfully.

Takigawa held out a plate to Kimeru before he sat himself down on the floor to eat at the coffee table. He looked over to Shirota, where they met each other's gaze for a moment.

Shirota broke off and returned to his food. "We don't have to talk about it if it's too sensitive a topic, tou-san," he said. "Even if I already have an idea what it may have been about."

Aiba nodded as Kimeru sat down beside Takigawa.

Kimeru looked at them. "And how, may I ask, did the two of you figure it out?" he asked.

Shirota lowered his spoon. "Well, it would've involved you since tou-san mentioned about being in a similar situation once before," he explained. "And if anything kaa-san, the mere fact that you weren't at your graduation during your senior year in Senior High got tou-san to say a few things in his speech that you wouldn't normally hear in a graduation speech..."

Kimeru chuckled. "Yes, I know the latter part since I have the video of the graduation," he said with a smile. "It was a nice speech."

"You didn't notice anything when you listened to his speech?" Shirota inquired.

Kimeru smiled softly. "Of course I did." he said as he looked at Takigawa. "Even if I forgot eventually, -and believe me I really regret that- you promised that you would never forget me and would always wait. Right Eiji?" he asked.

_'I wish I had my camera...'_ Aiba thought as he looked at the two first generation actors.

Takigawa smiled, nodding firmly, placing a quick kiss on Kimeru's cheek. "Aa."

Shirota took his spoon again before stopping, looking over to Takigawa and pointed the utensil at him. "AHHH! That means you remembered about everything!" he accused. "Why didn't you bring it up sooner?"

"Bring what up?" Takigawa inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"About everything we talked about in Hokkaido! About Senior High!"

Takigawa chuckled. "Oh, those. It seemed most of you forgot about our relation in school, and it was just Ueshima-sensei and I who ended up retaining that memory, plus a few others, I suppose."

"Few others?" Aiba said with a frown. "Even Takuya remembered it!" he exclaimed. "It's just weird that not everyone remembered..."

Shirota looked over to Aiba. "I think it was Yuki-san or Okiayu-san who reasoned that it was because of the busy schedules everyone had that they forgot," he explained.

"Before they ended up together right in front of our eyes?" Aiba asked as he thought for a minute.

Kimeru looked up in surprise."Who ended up together?" he asked.

"Okiayu-san and Yuki-san," Aiba answered.

"AND YOU SAW IT HAPPEN?" Kimeru exclaimed. "HOW?"

Shirota let out an amused laughter. "That's right, you stayed with tou-san in the hospital after he collapsed of fever," he said. "When Yuki-san came back with dinner, she and Okiayu-san had, at the request of Hiroki, started acting out Fuji and Tezuka to the point of confessing their love for each other," Shirota explained.

"And you even got a RajiPuri TezukaFuji moment?" Kimeru said in disbelief. "That has got to be a moment of the century..." he said as he shook his head.

Aiba chuckled. "And Yuu and I saw and heard it Live."

"You're making kaa-san envious, you two," Takigawa teased, placing his hands on Kimeru's shoulders.

Shirota chuckled. "Gomen, gomen."

"I swear I won't rest till I get the whole story from Yuki tonight!" Kimeru said with a nod.

Aiba chuckled. "I'm sure she won't mind telling you, kaa-san," he said.

"Saa, finish your food, Kime," Takigawa coaxed.

Kimeru blinked, processing what Takigawa just said as he looked at his plate. "Oh yeah..." he said as he started eating again.

"We actually found something to distract kaa-san with!" Aiba said in amusement.

Shirota was already returning to his food as he looked over to Aiba. "You still have a half a plate to finish, Hiroki," he pointed out in between spoonfuls of his food.

"Gah. You're right!" Aiba exclaimed as he turned his attention back to his food to finish it.

"I'm doing the dishes!" Kimeru announced afterwards, taking everyone's plates after they were done.

Takigawa raised a finger to protest before Kimeru disappeared into the kitchen before sighing in defeat. "Not tonight, apparently..." he said, shaking his head.

"Tou-san~" Shirota called, successfully calling Takigawa's attention.

"What's wrong, Shiropon?" he inquired with a warm smile.

Shirota yawned, rubbing his eyes. "Can you... help me up to bed?" he requested.

Aiba smiled as he heard this. "I'll...go help kaa-san in the kitchen so that he could finish early," he said as he stood up. "See you two later."

Takigawa nodded before moving over to Shirota. "I thought you said-"

"Forget what I said..." Shirota interjected with another yawn.

Takigawa chuckled before arranging to carry Shirota on his back as usual. "Hai, hai." He got to his feet before slowly heading to the stairs. "Ne, Shirotan... Did you have anything in mind for White Day?" he inquired quietly.

Shirota, whose arms were wrapped around Takigawa's neck during their ascent, leaned his head on the older man's shoulder in thought. "Aa, I do. And I want to get started on it right away..."

"Something hand-made, I suppose?" Takigawa confirmed as they reached the second floor landing.

Shirota yawned, nodding. "Hai~"

-break-

"There we go. Thanks for the help, Aibacchin," Kimeru said as he nodded over to Aiba who smiled.

"No problem, kaa-san," Aiba replied.

"Come on let's go to the Tezukas upstairs," Kimeru said playfully.

"Hai~"

-break-

Shirota had found sleep quickly after cuddling his Aiba and Fuji plushies while Takigawa was arranging the pillows underneath the boy's cast. He pulled the blanket over the boy and smiled at the sight. "Oyasumi, Shiropon," he said quietly before exiting the room.

Aiba reached their room and quietly joined Shirota on the bed. "Kawaii~" he said quietly as he looked at Shirota sleeping for a while before closing his eyes to go to sleep as well.

-break-

Kimeru reached for the book he had finished halfway the previous night as soon as he got to their room. "Have you seen my glasses?" he asked Takigawa.

Takigawa emerged from the walk-in closet pulling a shirt on as he held out the glasses in question. "I found them inside," he answered, gesturing to the closet as he approached Kimeru and handed the eyewear to him.

"How in the world did they get in there?" Kimeru asked as he took the glasses and examined them. After changing he went to the bed and laid back. "My phone has lost another life earlier..." he said as he flipped the book open.

Takigawa settled himself on the bed before turning to Kimeru. "What?" he asked incredulously. "Again?"

"Yes...again," Kimeru answered wryly. "I think it's down to its last two lives by now," he explained as he flipped a page.

Takigawa nodded. "I see..." _'Looks like I've found something to get you for White Day,'_ he told himself in satisfaction. "I'll go get myself some sleep now..." he announced before moving to his side facing Kimeru. "Enjoy your book..." he added before closing his eyes, pulling the blanket a little higher before settling to sleep.

"Oyasumi," Kimeru said quietly as he continued reading.

-break-

Aiba woke up when he felt something crawling under the blanket. He raised it up a bit to check what it was, fearing that it might be one of his phobias, but it was only Momo and Echizen who managed to get in undetected.

Aiba smiled as the two stopped at the pillow, just on top of his head and settled down. He patted them once before going back to bed.

Shirota jerked awake at something nuzzling against his neck. His eyes snapped open before he felt it move to his chest. He blinked before settling his gaze on the guinea pig there. Spotting the glasses, he recognized it to be Tezuka. "Omae..." he muttered darkly, shaking his head before moving back to sleep. Tezuka moved underneath the boy's shirt for warmth and settled there, his head sticking out.

-break-

When Kimeru was sure that Takigawa was well asleep, he stood up and quietly opened his bag. "Come on, Fuji…" he whispered as the guinea pig went up his arm and settled on his shoulder. He went back to the bed and let Fuji settle down on the pillow near his shoulder. It wasn't long before he fell asleep as well.

TO BE CONTINUED. :D

We look forward to your reviews and possible suggestions. :)


	17. Revisiting for Celebration

**Title:** Anything for You

**Author/Artist:** snooperj & Bloodysamurai

**Series/Pairing(s):** TeniMyu; Mainly Takigawa Eiji x Kimeru & Shirota Yuu x Aiba Hiroki

**Notes:** Here is the 17th chapter entitled **Revisiting for Celebration**. In this chapter, we focus on two primary celebrations: first for the most anticipated White Day, and more importantly, Takigawa's birthday. How does Kimeru plan to make his lover's special day BE special and memorable? A trip down memory lane and a two-day celebration to top it off! This chapter details the events of February 22 to March 25, 2007.

Some events from Mitsukaru High are mentioned~

**ALSO! None of the authors of this roleplay/fanfic own TeniMyu or the actors, but are mere fangirls of the musical series and corresponding actors we write about. Everything that progresses in the story is the creation of our witty imaginations.

+++February 22, 2007+++

The next morning, Takigawa woke up with something brushing against his nose. He opened his sleepy eyes to find Fuji in front of him. He inched back for a minute, rubbing his eyes before he moved to pat the guinea pig. "You gave me a right good scare there for a minute..." he muttered.

Takigawa eased himself out of bed and headed off to the bathroom to take a shower. He emerged after a few minutes and went to get dressed. After pulling some clothes on, he headed out into the hall again and headed downstairs.

-break-

Aiba managed to wake up earlier than usual and was already downstairs preparing breakfast.

-break-

Shirota woke up to a disturbance underneath his shirt that started moving around. He stirred as he soon burst out laughing. "What-stop-" he pleaded in between fits of laughter. Tezuka popped out from underneath his shirt before squeaking once as Momo and Echizen followed after their father and popped out on either side of the bespectacled guinea pig.

Shirota propped himself up on his elbows as he spotted the three. "I know Tezuka was here but..." he looked from Momo to Echizen before he heaved a sigh. "You two will seriously be the the death of me..." he muttered, patting the two before laying back down.

-break-

"Yosh~ all done," Aiba said as he transfered the breakfast to the plates.

Takigawa spotted Aiba in the kitchen and leaned against the doorframe. "Ohayou, Aibacchin," he greeted.

"Ohayou tou-san~" Aiba greeted with a smile. "Breakfast is ready."

Takigawa nodded. "I can see that," he pointed out. "Kaa-san is still fast asleep, though. And at this time it's safe to say that Shiropon is still out like a light."

Aiba nodded, "True…so want to have breakfast ahead of them?" he asked with a bright smile.

Takigawa considered it for a moment before nodding. "I suppose so," he replied.

-break-

Kimeru sat up sleepily. "Eiji?" he called out quietly. Hearing no response, he looked around. He saw Fuji on Takigawa's side of the bed and failed to put two and two together. "What the..?"

-break-

After having breakfast, Takigawa moved back up to their room to check up on Kimeru. Opening the door, he peeked inside, smiling. "You're finally up," he declared as he entered the room.

Kimeru looked at Fuji then at Takigawa. "I guess so...don't tell me you beat me to making breakfast..." he said with a yawn.

Takigawa shook his head. "Aibacchin did," he replied, sitting down on the bed.

Kimeru blinked as Fuji settled on his lap. "Aibacchin woke up early again?" he asked. "He seems to be forming a habit out of things…" he said.

Takigawa nodded as he looked down to Fuji. "I didn't notice the other guinea pigs in their cage downstairs..." he pointed out, frowning. "I wonder where..." he trailed off, looking over to the door.

"Maybe they got out last night," Kimeru said as he patted Fuji. "Fuji here doesn't seem to be worried so I'm sure they're all fine," he said as he stood up. "Breakfast?" he asked.

"It's not the guinea pigs I'm worried about, though..." Takigawa muttered before turning to Kimeru. "And I already ate ahead. Let's go and wake up Shirotan so he can join you for breakfast," he suggested, getting to his feet as well.

"Sure," Kimeru said as he headed for the door. He and Takigawa walked down the hall before the singer moved forward and quietly opened the door to Shirota and Aiba's room. "Shirota-" he was cut off when two furry animals zoomed pass him. "A-re?"

Takigawa sighed before entering the room. He pushed the door open a bit wider where they saw Shirota sitting up on the bed, panting with Tezuka on his shoulder. "What happened?" he inquired.

Shirota caught his breath and looked to the door. "Momo... Echizen... laugh... too much..." he managed to say before heaving a huge sigh.

"No wonder they ran out quickly when they heard Eiji come in," Kimeru said with a chuckle. "Aibacchin made breakfast," he said in an attempt to change the topic.

Shirota calmed down sufficiently before nodding. "That sounds good," he said, looking over to Tezuka. "Ikuyo?" he said before moving to the side of the bed.

"So I suppose you'll be asking me to help you downstairs, Shiropon?" Takigawa inquired.

Shirota nodded. "Aa."

Kimeru chuckled as he stepped aside for the two to pass.

After descending the stairs, Takigawa helped Shirota down to the couch, nodding before he turned to Kimeru. "I'll get your food as well," he announced before moving into the kitchen.

Aiba joined them on the couch. "Glad to see you two up and about~" he said brightly.

Kimeru blinked at him. "Someone seems happy today," he said.

"Of course I am!"

Shirota smiled. _'At least one of us seems to have put yesterday's event aside...'_ he said to himself.

Takigawa moved into the living room with two trays, handing one to Kimeru and the other to Shirota. "Hai, your food."

Shirota nodded. "Arigatou, Eiji-nii," he said, taking the tray and looked at the spread before him.

"So care to tell us why you're so happy Aibacchin?" Kimeru asked before he started eating.

Aiba nodded. "Aa, I'll be joining DL 4 despite my injury," he said. "Ueshima-sensei just officially informed me this morning."

Shirota grinned. "Glad to hear it," he said, nodding to Aiba before he started taking in his breakfast.

Takigawa settled himself down on the floor after moving to retrieve Q. He stroked the fat rabbit and looked between the three. "That gives us more of a reason to attend DL4, then," he said.

"It'd be great if you could watch," Aiba said brightly.

"Does that mean you'll have to go attend practice?" Shirota asked absentmindedly, his attention on his food.

Aiba paused. "Well...yeah...starting next week," he said sheepishly.

"And the myu is when?" Kimeru asked.

"March," Aiba answered.

"Somebody's going to mope around the house while Aiba's gone to practice," Takigawa pointed out with a fond smile over to Shirota, who was picking at his food with his spoon.

"Who said I was going to mope around?" the younger muttered in reply.

"Don't worry Yuu. Ueshima-sensei sort of gave me a special schedule," Aiba said.

"Define special," Kimeru told him.

"I go there after lunch and I'm home by 6 in the evening," Aiba said brightly.

Shirota shrugged. "I guess that's fine..." he muttered.

Takigawa laughed. "Kime and I don't mind taking turns with accompanying Aibacchin to practice and keeping you company, Shiropon," he said, turning to Kimeru. "Na?"

Aiba grinned. "Arigatou, Kaa-san~ Tou-san~" he said.

Shirota smiled, nodding. "Alright then..." he finally said before finishing the remains of his food.

+++February 26, 2007+++

The next week came quickly. The quartet had just finished lunch and Aiba was now getting ready to leave. Kimeru was the one who volunteered to stay with him for that day's practice and he was now waiting in the living room. Shirota was on the couch strumming his guitar for the lack of anything better to do.

"I assume you have something to do while you're there?" Takigawa inquired, wrapping his arms around Kimeru's waist from behind.

Kimeru smiled. "Aa. If I get bored watching them I have my book in my bag," he said as he placed his hands over Takigawa's.

"I'm ready!" Aiba called out as he reached the foot of the stairs.

Takigawa nodded before turning to Aiba. "Well, stay away from any accidents," he warned, smiling as he looked over to Shirota. "Shirotan, they're leaving."

Shirota strummed one last chord before singing an "Itterasshai" and grinned over to them. "Have fun today, Hiroki," he called.

"Don't miss me too much," Aiba teased as he kissed Shirota before he and Kimeru went off.

_'I'll try not to...'_ Shirota thought to himself as he waved at seeing them off.

Takigawa closed the door once they left before turning to Shirota. "So what do you propose we do this afternoon?" he inquired, sitting down on the armchair.

Shirota started strumming the guitar again, thinking.

-break-

Aiba got into the front seat of the car and immediately put on his seatbelt which caused Kimeru to chuckle. "Trauma?" he teased.

"Only if you're behind the wheel, Kaa-san," Aiba replied.

-break-

"What are you getting for Kime-nii for White Day, Eiji-nii?" Shirota inquired, strumming a random song.

Takigawa smiled. "Two things; something he needs and something I just want to make for him," he replied.

-break-

"So do you have any idea what songs you have to learn?" Kimeru started conversationally as he stopped at a stoplight.

"Aa...and there's a song that I was going to ask you to teach me," Aiba said.

"Which one?" Kimeru asked.

"Dream Maker."

-break-

"What about you, then? Anything special planned for Aibacchin?" Takigawa inquired.

Shirota set his guitar down, nodding. "Can you bring me to the store, Eiji-nii?"

"What for?"

Shirota reached out for his crutches. "There're a few supplies I need to get," he replied.

-break-

"Here we are, Aibacchi," Kimeru said as he parked the car.

Once inside, they were greeted by the cast. Ueshima had handed Kimeru Aiba's costume as Aiba went to the stage to interact with the cast for a while before they resumed the practices.

-break-

In Shirota and Aiba's car, Takigawa got into the driver's seat after helping Shirota in the back get settled before driving off at a leisurely pace. "Are you going to tell me what exactly you'll be getting, Shiropon?" he inquired, looking up at the rear-view mirror.

Shirota smiled. "I just figured I'll make up for that wood carving with one of my own," he replied.

-break-

Minami was on stage with Aiba, the two of them trying out the choreography for Dream maker.

Kimeru watched them from the front row seats and grinned. "Why don't you try going back to back?" he suggested.

Aiba and Minami looked at one another before nodding. "That might work," Aiba said.

-break-

Once in the store, Takigawa pushed the shopping cart as Shirota headed down an aisle, looking around for what he needed. Every now and then, Shirota would take something off the shelf and drop them onto the cart. It wasn't long before they headed off to the counter to pay.

"A miniature one, I suppose?" Takigawa inquired as Shirota pulled out his wallet to get the money to pay.

"Given the time we have left before White Day, I don't have a choice," Shirota replied with a small smile.

-break-

Aiba was watching Furukawa and the others practice a certain dance when a burger was pushed into his hands. "Huh?" he said as he looked at Kimeru who was already halfway done with his own burger.

"You looked hungry," Kimeru said with a shrug.

Aiba smiled. "Thanks, Kime-nii," he said.

-break-

On the drive back to Shirota and Aiba's place, Shirota was examining the block of wood he had selected, as if pondering what to do with it.

"Don't tell me you don't know what to make yet," Takigawa said as he turned a corner.

"I have an idea..." Shirota argued, smiling softly. "I just hope it comes out okay."

-break-

"Aibacchi will accept anything you make for him regardless if it turns out great or not."

"What a way to lift my spirits, tou-san..." Shirota said sarcastically, earning a chuckle from the older man.

-break-

Ueshima had dismissed the group at around 5:30. After Aiba talked to the Hyoutei boys he went over to Kimeru.

"Ready to go home?" the older Fuji actor asked.

"Aa. Let's go," Aiba said with a nod.

-break-

Shirota was in the study room where he was working on his sculpture. Takigawa was seated by the door, reading a recipe off his cookbook, picking out what he'll be making tonight.

Takigawa got to his feet. "I'll be going to the living room. Shall I lock this?" he inquired as he opened the door.

Shirota, who was busy concentrating on his wood carving, nodded. "Onegai."

Takigawa smiled before leaving the room after locking the door from Shirota's end and closed it. After hearing a click, he headed to the kitchen.

"We're back~" Kimeru called out as he opened the door to the house. After placing the bags on the couches he went off to hunt down Takigawa.

Aiba went straight upstairs to look for his own partner. "Yuu?" he called out.

"I'm in the kitchen!" Takigawa called as he closed the fridge and moved to the counter.

"Getting started on dinner already?" Kimeru asked as he stepped in the kitchen, "We got Aibacchin's new seigaku uniform today...and guess what they're going to do for DL 4."

-break-

"Yuu?" Aiba called out as he opened the door to the recreating room. "Where could he be?" he asked as he went downstairs. "Tou-san~ do you know where Yuu is?" he asked as he reached the kitchen.

"What would that be?" Takigawa inquired, moving to the stove. "And Shiropon's in the study room, but he's doing something important that he asked me to leave him alone for a bit. He'll be out when dinner's ready," he explained over to Aiba.

"Something important?" Aiba repeated as he shrugged. "Then I guess I shouldn't disturb him...oh well...I'll be in the living room!" he said as he went to the living room to watch TV.

Kimeru chuckled as he watched Aiba leave. "They'll be doing Dream Maker," he told Takigawa.

Takigawa paused in what he was doing. "I see..." he muttered. "The situation's just like More Than Limit, isn't it..?" he inquired quietly.

"Yes it is," Kimeru said with a nod. He thought for a moment. "You just had to miss the myu where I wore the shorts for the first time on stage," he teased.

Takigawa groaned as he moved back to what he was doing. "Blame me for not foreseeing my schedule to clash with the premiere of More than Limit," he said in a slightly annoyed tone.

Kimeru chuckled. "Well...you did see a similar scene anyway when I became Echizen." he said as he went over to the fridge and took out a chocolate bar.

Takigawa groaned before he finished making dinner in silence. He arranged the food on a tray and transferred it to the living room before he moved to the study room and knocked on the door. "Shirotan, dinner's ready," he called.

-break-

Shirota heaved a sigh of relief as he moved to clean his work area and hide his project somewhere before he got to his feet with the help of his crutches. He moved to the door and unlocked it, pulling it open. "Hai~"

Aiba smiled as he saw Shirota. "Glad to see you're keeping yourself busy, Yuu," he said.

Shirota moved to the living room, nodding. "I'll drive myself mad if I don't do anything while you're gone, you know," he defended as he eased himself down onto a couch.

Aiba chuckled. "I'll take note of that next time I have to leave for a long period of time," he said.

Takigawa moved to distribute the food among the four of them. "His 'important thing' is something you might admire him for, though," Takigawa teased.

Shirota eyed Takigawa but said nothing, pursing his lips as he accepted the food offered to him.

"Really?" Aiba asked. "What is -" he was cut off when his phone started ringing. "Aiba speaking," he said as he answered the call. "Koji? What- KENKEN'S WHAT?" he exclaimed as he stood up.

Kimeru frowned as he watched Aiba and once the younger sat back down he looked a bit dazed. "Something happen?" he asked.

Aiba nodded. "Kenken got into an accident. Koji panicked and used the speed dial, thus calling me," he explained as he texted the rest of the Hyoutei boys. "I hope it's nothing serious...he said he'll keep me informed."

Shirota nodded sympathetically as he feasted on his food. "Let's hope so for Koji's sake," he said.

Aiba sighed before finishing his dinner in silence.

+++March 14, 2007+++

The days passed, with the routines growing more and more defined with each day. After lunch, Aiba would leave for practice, with Takigawa and Kimeru taking turns accompanying the boy. At about the same time, Shirota would lock himself in the study room for the rest of the afternoon to work on his little project. On days when Takigawa was home with Shirota, he set off to work on his own little project for Kimeru.

It wasn't until the morning of March 14, otherwise known as White Day, arrived. Takigawa had made it a point to wake up early so that he could have everything ready. He started with preparing them all some breakfast.

Aiba, for one reason or another seemed to have developed the habit of waking up early. He looked around and saw the clock nearby, he noticed that he had once again woken up early. _'I guess I better head downstairs,'_ he thought as he made a move to get off the bed.

Shirota felt a movement on the other side of the bed and reached a hand out, seizing the other boy's wrist. "Hiroki..." he called longingly, pulling him back into the bed and wrapped an arm over him. "Don't leave yet..." he muttered.

Aiba smiled as he heard Shirota call his name. He settled back under the covers and moved close to Shirota.

-break-

When Takigawa was done with breakfast, he arranged them on separate trays - one for each pair. He smiled before taking Shirota and Aiba's tray and brought it upstairs to their room. He quietly opened the door and left the tray on the desk before he left and returned downstairs to retrieve his and Kimeru's, proceeding up once more and entered his and Kimeru's room. He moved to the bed and set the tray down on the bedside table before easing himself down on the bed with Kimeru once more, brushing off Kimeru's hair from covering his features before Takigawa bent down and kissed the J-Pop singer on the forehead.

Kimeru smiled as he felt Takigawa settle beside him, he opened his eyes and gazed at him softly. "Ohayou..." he said softly.

Takigawa smiled. "Breakfast is waiting," he announced, kissing Kimeru again, this time on the lips before he sat up.

Kimeru nodded before sitting up. "Are the kids up yet?" he asked as he looked over at Takigawa before spotting the tray on the table nearby.

"Last I checked, they weren't," Takigawa reported, moving to take the tray from the table.

-break-

Shirota stirred and rubbed his eyes with one hand before he opened them, finding Aiba beside him. A small smile spread across his lips before he poked Aiba gently. "Hiroki~"

"Uhn...time to wake up?" Aiba mumbled as he opened his eyes.

Shirota sat up and looked around. "Aa," he replied, grinning at the tray that was left at the desk. "Looks like tou-san left us some breakfast," he pointed out with a chuckle.

Aiba nodded before standing up to retrieve his and Shirota's breakfast. "Here you go," he said as he handed a bowl to Shirota.

-break-

Kimeru nodded. "I see...oh well they'll get up sooner or later," he said.

Takigawa nodded before handing Kimeru a bowl of porridge. "Hai," he offered.

"Sankyu~" Kimeru said as he took the bowl from Takigawa.

Takigawa took his own bowl and feasted on breakfast.

-break-

"Arigatou," Shirota thanked, taking the bowl before stopping, looking over to Aiba. "Ne, do you want me to help you with yours?" he offered.

Aiba shook his head. "It's alright," he said as he went back to the table to retrieve his own breakfast. "Strange...the guinea pigs seem to have stayed downstairs today," he observed.

"C'mon, it's the _least_ I can do for _today_," Shirota tried, setting his bowl on bedside table near him, clapping his hands together. "Onegai," he pleaded.

Aiba sighed in defeat as he handed his bowl to Shirota. "Why must you use that adorable pleading expression?" he asked before smiling.

Shirota grinned, taking the bowl. "Because that's the only way I can get you to agree," he said, sticking his tongue out and took the spoon, filled it promptly and held it out to Aiba. "Hai~"

Aiba shook his head before he opened his mouth to let Shirota feed him.

-break-

Kimeru smiled as he finished his breakfast. He looked at Takigawa and patted him on the shoulder. "Great as usual," he said.

Takigawa nodded before he took Kimeru's bowl and set everything on the tray on the bedside table before opening his drawer and pulled something out, handing the cell phone out to him. "Hai," he said, placing the device into Kimeru's hand. "This is for you," he added with a smile. "I hope you take care of this one."

Kimeru blinked as he stared at the phone in his hands. "Eiji...this..." he said before placing it on the bed and jumping to Takigawa's arms. "Thank you!" he exclaimed.

Takigawa wrapped his arms around Kimeru. "You're welcome," he said with a smile. "Though there's still a part two to your gift for White Day," he added with a chuckle.

"Part two?" he asked as he looked up at Takigawa.

Takigawa merely smiled.

-break-

After Shirota had fed Aiba, he quickly ate his own share before placing everything on the tray and moved to get out of bed. He managed to find his crutches and got up before moving to the door. "Ne, there's something I need to give you, Hiroki," he said as he opened the door. "Mind coming down to the study room with me?" he asked.

Aiba nodded. "Sure thing," he said as he stood up and followed Shirota.

Shirota led the way down the stairs, managing it with the help of the crutches before moved into the study room. He moved to the desk and sat himself down on the chair for a minute before opening one of the cabinets there before he pulled out a box and presented it to Aiba.

"Hai," he said with a smile. He had managed to finish his wood carving of a cat - to the point of smoothing it out and varnishing it - late last night. In the process of his project, he had attained quite a few cuts to his fingers that he had bandaged up and usually blamed it on the guinea pigs biting him when he was asked about them.

Aiba opened the box and took out what was inside. "Yuu..." he said in awe as he looked at the wood carving. "You did this by yourself?" he asked with a smile. "Thank you so much," he said before bending down and kissing Shirota on the cheek.

-break-

"Either they have gone downstairs or they turned into bowls…" Kimeru said as he stared at the empty bedroom.

Takigawa shook his head, moving inside and taking the tray. "I find your second thought to be illogical," he said before retreating from the room and headed downstairs to deposit the two trays in the kitchen sink.

-break-

Shirota smiled before he moved to take hold of his crutches again. "Though I had to live through a few minor injuries, but I'm fine," he mused, holding up his bandaged fingers before he grasped his crutches and got up.

Aiba smiled. "Wood carving isn't really something you can expect to not get any scratches from," he said in amusement. "But really, I love what you made."

Shirota nodded. "I'm glad you like it," he said appreciatively.

-break-

Kimeru chuckled. "No need to be such a Tezuka at this early in the morning," he said with a grin.

Takigawa snorted. "Your 'part two' is waiting for you in the coffee table of the living room," he pointed out. He himself had decided to make something for Kimeru - which was a small painting he had done himself of Kimeru during one of his many concerts.

Kimeru headed straight to the living room and spotted the painting. "Actor, Chef, Singer, Model, Lawyer and now painter… Is there something out there that you _can't_ do?" he asked in amusement. "This is great, Eiji!"

"What is?" Aiba asked as he and Shirota joined Kimeru in the living room.

"I see you've found tou-san's work," Shirota pointed out with a smile. "He worked on that late into the night every time he and I were alone in the house," he explained.

Kimeru's grin turned into a soft smile. "He put a lot of effort in this, didn't he?" he asked no one in particular. "Excuse me for a bit," he said as he headed to where Takigawa was.

"Parent moments..." Aiba said with a smile as he led Shirota to the couch.

Shirota chuckled, nodding. "Aa. Happy White Day, by the way," he added, kissing Aiba on the lips.

"Aa. Happy White Day," Aiba said with a smiled as leaned forward to kiss Shirota again.

Shirota pulled back and eased himself down onto the couch, heaving a sigh as he propped his injured leg up on the couch with him.

-break-

Takigawa had just finished attending to the dishes and wiped his forehead of the accumulated sweat. "That should do it..."

Kimeru went to the kitchen and gently pulled Takigawa to face him before grabbing him by the shoulders to pull him down for a kiss. "Thank you..." he said softly as he pulled away.

Takigawa snaked his arms around Kimeru's waist, pulling him closer. "Happy White Day," he greeted, kissing Kimeru on the forehead.

"Happy White Day to you too," Kimeru said as he placed his head on Takigawa's shoulder.

Takigawa let his fingers run through Kimeru's hair for a moment. "Shall we join the kids in the living room?" he inquired quietly.

"Sure, let's go…" Kimeru said as he took Takigawa's hand before heading to the living room with him. "No practice today, Aibaccin?" he inquired.

Aiba shook his head. "Day off for everyone," he answered.

Shirota grinned. "As expected," he said happily.

Takigawa gestured to the armchair for Kimeru to sit down. "So have we any plans today?" he inquired to the group.

Kimeru thought for a moment. "We could watch some of the DVD's I brought a few days ago..." he suggested.

"What DVDs did you get?" Shirota inquired.

"You bought DVDs?" Takigawa added, looking over incredulously to Kimeru.

Kimeru nodded. "Aa. There was one time that Aiba and the others were let out early so we passed by a video shop," he said as he went upstairs to retrieve the DVDs. "Here we go…" he said as he rejoined the group, handing Takigawa the DVDs.

"Quite a variety you got..." Takigawa said as he browsed through the DVDs. "And will you sit down already?" he said, moving Kimeru into the armchair and settling himself down on the armrest.

Kimeru chuckled as he sat on the armchair. "Aibacchin was the one who chose the CSI season, mind you," he said with a grin.

"I like sci-fi..." Aiba said in defense.

Takigawa handed over the bunch to Shirota, who waved his hands in front of him.

"I don't want to choose," Shirota reasoned.

Kimeru thought for a moment. "How about we watch the Pirates of the Caribbean 2?" he suggested.

Takigawa took the DVD. "I'm fine with that."

Shirota grinned. "I don't mind."

"But I haven't watched the first movie!" Aiba said with a frown.

"Who cares? It's a sequel and you don't usually need to have watched the first movies to understand the sequels," Kimeru told him.

"Most of the time," Shirota added.

Takigawa moved to the TV, chuckling. "Don't worry. I believe Shirotan hasn't had the opportunity to watch the first one as well," he reasoned, turning to Shirota. "Na?"

Shirota scratched his cheek. "Aa..."

"Oh well...I'm sure you'll get the plot even if you haven't watched the first one," Kimeru said with a shrug.

"Well...it's about pirates...plot must be simple enough," Aiba reasoned.

Shirota chuckled. "Let's hope so," he said as Takigawa popped the CD into the player.

Aiba watched the movie as it started.

"I'm getting some popcorn!" Kimeru announced before running off to the kitchen.

Takigawa chuckled. "I'll go and get us some drinks," he announced before following Kimeru into the kitchen.

-break-

Kimeru placed a bag of the instant popcorn in the microwave. "That should do the trick," he said in satisfaction as he set the timer.

"What would be a suitable drink to go with popcorn?" Takigawa inquired as he entered the kitchen.

"I dunno..." Kimeru said as he watched the popcorn bag spin around.

When the microwave beeped to signal that the popcorn was done, Kimeru reached in and transferred the contents to a large bowl. "There we go," he said with a satisfied grin.

At around the same time, Takigawa was just about done stirring the juice and arranged a tray where four glasses were. He transferred the pitcher onto the tray before nodding to Kimeru. "Shall we be heading back now?"

"Aa. Let's go," Kimeru said with a nod as he took the bowl.

Takigawa took the tray carefully before returning to the kitchen, following after Kimeru as he slowly eased the tray down onto the coffee table and poured them all a glass and handed it out.

"Arigatou," Shirota thanked, taking the glass as his eyes remained fixed on the television screen.

Kimeru placed the bowl on the coffee table where it was accesible for everyone. "Just get some," he said as he turned his attention to the TV.

Shirota moved to set his glass down on the table before reaching out for a handful of popcorn before leaning back against the couch, feasting on the food from his hand at a leisurely pace.

"Isn't he the guy from 'The Lord of the Rings'?" Aiba asked as Will Turner came into view.

"Orlando Bloom," Kimeru said. "Aa. He was Legolas."

Shirota chuckled. "He seems to fit the description of being a pirate," he pointed out, referring to Orlando. "And Johnny Depp, of course."

"Of course! Johnny Depp is amazing in all of his movies!" Kimeru said happily.

"It would seem that we found a Johnny Depp fan..." Aiba said with a grin.

Takigawa chuckled, rolling his eyes as he took another drink from cup of juice as he moved his attention to the movie.

"You must be pretty updated with everything, tou-san. You enjoy watching movies, don't you?" Shirota inquired.

Takigawa set his cup on the table. "Mah..."

Aiba fell silent and continued to watch again, Kimeru doing the same as he ate some more of the popcorn.

-break-

When the movie ended, Shirota stretched his arms above him. "That was a good movie," he complimented.

"You enjoy watching funny shows and movies, so this one kept you awake, didn't it Shiropon?" Takigawa teased.

Shirota pouted, looking over to Takigawa. "Mou!"

Takigawa chuckled. "Okay, okay, I'll stop," he said, looking over to the two Fuji actors. "Why don't you two head upstairs for a while?" he suggested. "Shirota and I will start making lunch."

Kimeru and Aiba looked at one another before the former nodded, "No problem… Come on, Aibacchin. There's something I want to show you anyway," the J-Pop singer said as he led Aiba upstairs.

As the two headed upstairs, Shirota turned to Takigawa as he went to retrieve his crutches. "A special lunch, then?" he inquired.

Takigawa nodded as he brought everything they had brought out back to the kitchen with them. "Of course, it's a special occasion, after all."

-break-

Kimeru locked the door as soon as he and Aiba were in. "What were you going to show me, Kime-nii?" he asked as he watched Kimeru pull out a CD from somewhere in his closet.

"I'm going to show you my gift to Eiji and you tell me if he'll be able to finish it," Kimeru explained as he set up the CD in his portable DVD player.

Aiba watched in silence and smirked. "He won't even make it through the half part," he said once the video ended.

-break-

Takigawa had pulled out his cookbook and flipped it to a certain page and showed it to Shirota.

"Chicken or Turkey Tetrazzini Deluxe?" Shirota read before looking over to Takigawa.

"It's a nice way to use up that leftover chicken we had from last time, don't you think?" the older of the two inquired as he moved to retrieve a few ingredients from the fridge.

Shirota read through the ingredients before nodding in satisfaction. "Aa. Let's get to work, then," he said cheerfully before moving to the pantry.

-break-

As Kimeru and Aiba finished watching the PV that Kimeru was going to give as a gift for Takigawa, the two engaged in some light conversation. "You should be thankful that tou-san isn't the jealous type, kaa-san," Aiba said as he looked at Kimeru who sent him a questioning glance as a reply. "He would be hunting down your crew if he was," Aiba explained.

"Oh...you're right."

-break-

With the combined efforts of the two, they had managed to make the dish in just under an hour. Takigawa pulled it out of the oven and grinned at their finished product before setting it down on the counter. "It seems to have turned out well," he said happily.

Shirota chuckled. "Well, you had a hand in making it, so it's not to be questioned," he teased.

-break-

Meanwhile, the two upstairs were having a friendly game of Dance Dance Revolution in the studio room.

"No fair Aibacchin~" Kimeru said as he missed a step.

Aiba chuckled. "That's because I'm a dancer, Kaa-san," he said.

-break-

Takigawa had brought everything outside to the living room before looking over to the stairs. "I'll go and call them down for lunch," he announced. "You settle yourself down, Shirotan."

"Hai, tou-san," Shirota called, moving to the couch.

When Takigawa was upstairs, he checked the studio room before spotting the two. He chuckled, shaking his head and waited for the song to end before calling, "Lunch is ready."

"Hai~" the two Fuji actors answered as Kimeru turned off the console.

Moments later they came down to join Shirota in the living room.

Shirota was in the process of placing servings on each plate when the three returned from downstairs. "Hai, enjoy~" he said, taking two plates and handing them to Kimeru and Aiba.

"It's basically a healthy pasta casserole with chicken, veggies, sherry and broth with a few cream and cheese elements," Takigawa explained, taking a plate of his own.

Kimeru looked at the food before grinning. "This looks like it came from the cookbook I gave you," he teased as he sat down.

Takigawa chuckled. "It did," he replied simply.

Kimeru nodded as he sat down. "Well, let's get started and eat! Itadakimasu~" he said.

"Itadakimasu~" the rest chorused before digging into their own servings of the dish.

After finishing his share, Kimeru raised his hand. "Can I volunteer to wash the dishes?" he asked.

Takigawa and Shirota looked at one another as the former got to his feet. "You can help me out, then," he said with a warm smile, pecking Kimeru on the cheek.

Kimeru grinned as he took the empty plates from the two others before heading to the kitchen.

Aiba chuckled. "Looks like someone really likes washing the dishes…"

"Wasn't that a development from when he was staying with tou-san?" Shirota offered, watching as the pair left for the kitchen.

"Aa. Tou-san said so before, I think," Aiba answered with a smile. "And to think...from being that bratty vocalist from Senior High...I doubt anyone saw this coming."

Shirota smirked. "I wonder what would've happened if kaa-san wasn't partnered with tou-san for that program back then?" he said thoughtfully.

Aiba thought for a moment. "Then he would probably still have been a brat and still caused trouble every single day…" he said. "Speaking of...What do you think would have happened if I didn't enroll in Mitsukaru?" he asked.

Shirota shrugged. "Saa... A lot of things... You'd be serious throughout your Senior High..." He shuddered at the thought. "I don't even want to continue thinking about that kind of stuff!" he finished.

Aiba hit Shirota playfully on the shoulder and grinned. "What's wrong with me being serious?" he asked. "Oh well~ Then let's be thankful that things turned out the way it did." He then turned his attention to a magazine that was on the table. "A-re? Cosplay convention?" he said as he took the magazine.

"You enjoy changing the topic, don't you?" Shirota said, chuckling.

Aiba shrugged. "It's just that I happen to be easy to distract," he said as he looked at the magazine.

-break-

In the kitchen, Takigawa stayed by the counter, deciding to have Kimeru do the dishes and offered to dry the clean ones and stack them on the rack.

"Ne Eiji...What do you want for your birthday?" Kimeru asked suddenly.

"Anything's fine..." Takigawa admitted. "I'm not all too particular when it comes to things like that..."

"Alright," Kimeru answered as he handed one of the plates to Takigawa.

Takigawa took the plate and wiped it dry with a towel before setting it on the rack. _'Though... knowing you, you already have something for me, don't you?'_ he thought to himself.

_'With all the time I gave that guy he better have done what I asked for...'_ Kimeru thought as he handed another plate to Takigawa.

Takigawa took the next plate from Kimeru, wiping it dry before stating, "It's been a while since I talked with my parents..." he said randomly. "I wonder if I should give them a call tonight..."

"I bet you miss them," Kimeru said as he handed the last plate to Takigawa. "Go ahead and give them a call. I'm sure they'd love to hear from you."

Takigawa took the plate and nodded. "Aa, I think I'll do that," he said, wiping the dish clean before setting it on the rack.

"Well, we're done here," Kimeru announced as he wiped his hands dry, "So go on and call them."

"Are you kicking me out of the kitchen?" Takigawa teased as he set the towel down.

"Yes I am," Kimeru grinned. "Now go..."

Takigawa sighed. "Fine, fine; I know when I'm not wanted. I'll make the call upstairs," he announced before heading out into the living room and up the stairs.

Kimeru nodded and waited until Takigawa was gone before pulling out his phone and dialing the number of his manager. "Did you manage to inform them?" he asked.

-break-

Takigawa moved into the guest room where he and Kimeru were staying. He took the cordless phone from its cradle and dialed a familiar number. He brought the phone to his ear as it rang. After the third ring, someone picked up from the other line.

_"Hello?"_

"Kaa-san?"

Takigawa Sumire chuckled. _"EIJI! What a surprise for you be calling!"_

Eiji blinked. "A-no... I just thought of checking up on you and tou-san, that's all..." he said randomly.

-break-

Kimeru grinned as he ended the call with his manager. "Now all that's left are the others..." he said to himself as he looked at the screen of his phone for a while before texting some people.

Shirota frowned as he saw Takigawa heading upstairs before turning to Aiba. "I wonder what's happening now?" he inquired.

"Maybe they just have some things to take care of?" Aiba suggested with a shrug. "After all...you do know what kaa-san is planning, right?" he asked.

Shirota nodded. "Aa... That's probably it..." he muttered. "We get to see the rest of the first cast again," he added with a grin. "I wonder how Sota-senpai and Naoya-senpai are doing these days..."

"Oh yeah...it's been a while since Sota-senpai came over to ask for help, right?" Aiba asked with a grin.

Shirota nodded eagerly.

-break-

_"I'm relieved to hear that everyone's doing much better now,"_ Takigawa Sumire continued over the phone.

Eiji chuckled. "Aa. Again, I apologize for not being able to-"

_"We understand that you're quite busy handling Shirota-kun and Aiba-kun with Kime, Eiji. No need to apologize,"_Takigawa Kaito interjected. _"We're just glad you've updated us on what's happened after you all got back from Hokkaido."_

"It seems I have assumed that kind of role now, even if you two have moved back to live here in Japan..." Eiji reasoned.

_"Well, we're glad that you're continuing to do so,"_ Sumire complimented. _"At least we're assured that you're doing quite well with taking care of everybody like a father,"_ she teased.

Eiji blushed at this before he cleared his throat.

-break-

Kimeru smirked as he got the last of the confirmations in his phone. "Yosh...everything is set then…" he said in satisfaction. "Now…all that's left is the venue and the driver."

-break-

Takigawa had gotten to his feet. "I'll call again," he said.

_"We'll look forward to it, Eiji!"_ the parents said in unison before the line was cut.

-break-

"You should go and see how kaa-san is doing," Shirota suggested, pointing to the kitchen.

"Okay," Aiba said before heading to the kitchen. "Kaa-san?" he called out once he got there.

"Oh. Aibacchin aren''t you supposed to be with Shirotan?" Kimeru asked.

-break-

Takigawa set the phone back on its cradle before deciding to head back downstairs. He paused as he reached the living room. "A-re? Where'd Aibacchin go?" he inquired.

Shirota pointed to the kitchen. "Just went to check on Kime-nii," he replied.

-break-

"So you rented out the-" Aiba was cut off when Kimeru placed a hand over his mouth.

"Not so loud!" Kimeru hissed.

-break-

Takigawa's gaze averted to the kitchen for a lingering moment before moving to the couches with Shirota before slumping down beside the boy. "I see."

Shirota blinked. "You're not curious?" he inquired.

"Should I be?" he fired back with a small smile.

-break-

"But the place is too huge!" Aiba argued.

Kimeru shrugged. "It's enough for the guests..." he explained.

"But still!"

"You do want to go back there even for a day don't you?"

-break-

"I'm amazed," Shirota concluded.

"Why's that?" Takigawa inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"You really want things to be a surprise for you, don't you?" Shirota teased.

Takigawa smirked. "Aa. I do."

-break-

"Yeah I guess..." Aiba said.

Kimeru grinned. "See...Now let's get back and join the Tezukas," he said as he patted Aiba on the back before they went out the kitchen together.

"Talk about anything interesting?" Takigawa inquired as soon as he spotted the two Fuji actors emerge from the kitchen.

Kimeru grinned. "You'll find out in due time," he said as he patted Takigawa on the head.

Aiba chuckled as he sat back down beside Shirota.

"I'll look forward to it, then," Takigawa replied, chuckling.

Kimeru smiled. "You won't be disappointed," he said.

"Since you're the mastermind..." Takigawa began before pulling Kimeru to sit on his lap. "I'm sure I won't be," he finished with a smile, wrapping his arms around the J-Pop singer's waist.

Aiba watched the two and grinned. he pulled out his phone and snapped a picture. _'Blog time...'_ he thought.

Shirota looked over to Aiba and frowned. "You really don't waste time with things like that, do you?" he teased, shaking his head.

Aiba nodded. "Why not?" he asked. "They both haven't updated their blog in a while, and I bet the fans are dying to find out how they are."

Shirota reached for Aiba's phone. "Then you and I should have a picture too!" he complained.

Takigawa merely chuckled at this.

Aiba grinned as he handed Shirota the phone. "Sounds fun. And I'll put it as a profile picture in my blog," he said.

Shirota took the phone. "Hai~" he said as he positioned it at a certain distance before leaning against Aiba and grinning. "Smile!" he announced before he took the picture.

Kimeru grinned as he watched the two. "Maybe I should put us in as profile picture as well." he said slyly.

Takigawa turned to Kimeru. "No one's stopping you, you know," he said with a chuckle.

Kimeru smirked before pulling out his phone. "Yosh~" he said as he held it out in front of them. "Smile Eiji~~"

Takigawa did indeed smile as the picture was taken.

Shirota pulled the phone back and checked the picture before grinning over to Aiba. "Does this look alright?" he inquired.

Aiba looked at the picture and nodded. "Aa. I'll upload it later," he said with a smile.

Kimeru looked at the picture and grinned. "Not bad, Eiji...you're still photogenic."

"So are we doing anything this afternoon?" Shirota inquired.

"I don't think I became a model for nothing, Kime," Takigawa teased before looking over to Shirota. "And at the moment no we don't."

"So we are left once again to think of something to do," Kimeru said.

"I want to cosplay..." Aiba said randomly.

Shirota looked over to Aiba. "As if the Myu wasn't enough cosplay for you," he reasoned as he shook his head.

"Don't tell me you never had the urge to play another character besides Tezuka, Yuu," Aiba said as he grinned at Shirota.

Shirota frowned. "Well..." he began, scratching his cheek. "There was nothing much to think about..."

"I don't know about you..." Aiba said thoughtfully. "But I always thought that it would be fun to cosplay Rikkai," he said.

Kimeru blinked. "Now that you mention it..."

Takigawa pointed to Kimeru. "Kirihara," he stated.

"A-re? Me? Kirihara?" Kimeru inquired. "Blood shot eyes...evil smirk..." he listed as he looked at Takigawa evilly. "I think I'll be able to pull it off."

"That was why I suggested the role," Takigawa stated blankly.

"You take me for an evil tennis player that would beat Fuji up?" Kimeru asked in mock hurt. "And here I thought that you knew that I had changed since our high school days."

Kimeru chuckled. "Alright you win..." he said. "But only if you do a Rikkai regular as well."

"Tou-san could be Sanada," Shirota suggested.

Kimeru grinned. "That would be nice to see," he said. _'Which gives me another idea...'_ he thought as he added an item to his 'to do when Shirota and Aiba get their cast off' list.

Shirota turned to Aiba. "And what about you?" he inquired. "You said you wanted to be someone from Rikkai too..."

"I've always wanted to try Yagyuu..." Aiba admitted sheepishly. "Since he gets to switch around and all..."

Takigawa chuckled. "Then Shirota should be Niou, then," he suggested.

Shirota turned to the older man. "EH!"

"Niou fits your personality a bit more, doesn't he?" Takigawa reasoned.

"It would be cool to cosplay them~" Aiba said brightly. "You don't have to frown all the time that way," he added as he pointed at Shirota.

"And you would have to be semi-serious," Kimeru pointed out to the younger Fuji actor.

"It looks like the only person who won't be changing in personality too much is tou-san," Shirota accused, looking over to Takigawa. "Tezuka and Sanada _are_ alike in that essence."

Kimeru frowned. "But if he cosplays Sanada...what if there'll be a Yukimura?" he asked.

"Well... That would be your problem," Shirota stated with a chuckle.

Takigawa looked over to Kimeru. "It'll be fine. Everybody knows we're together so there's no need for you to worry," he said.

"Besides, kaa-san...if ever there is a Yukimura and he decides to try something funny..." Aiba started. "Just remember...you're Kirihara Akaya."

Kimeru smirked. "How right you are..."

Takigawa shrugged as Shirota laughed. "That'd be one thing to look forward to," the younger boy said. "But really, we should think of something to do _today_."

"I still have no idea," Kimeru admitted.

"We should put that game room of yours to use," Takigawa replied pointedly.

"The one upstairs?" Aiba asked.

"I could bring the console down here," Kimeru offered.

"Then I want to play the Wii!" Shirota declared, raising a hand up.

"You never seem to want to stop playing Wii Tennis, do you?" Takigawa said, shaking his head.

"Hey, I never said I wanted to play that game!" Shirota defended.

Kimeru chuckled as he stood up. "I'll go bring it down then," he said.

+++March 24, 2007+++

Soon enough, it was Takigawa's birthday at last. Kimeru had woken up early to attend to the last minute preparations. He made breakfast that day and after doing so, headed upstairs to wake the celebrant. "Eiji..." he said softly as he gently shook the older man awake.

Takigawa stirred at Kimeru's shakes as his eyes opened slowly before he proceeded to rub them. "Morning already..?" he muttered.

Kimeru smiled. "Hai. Happy Birthday Eiji~" he said as he kissed Takigawa on the cheek. "I brought in breakfast~"

Takigawa managed a smile as he moved to prop himself up onto his elbows. "Arigatou..." he said before proceeding to sit up. "And you really didn't have to..." he added, pertaining to breakfast.

"But it's your special day~" Kimeru said as he stood up and retrieved the tray from the table. "And today, Daddy Eiji won't have to do anything~"

Takigawa frowned. "Mou, that's-"

The door flew open. "Happy birthday, Eiji-nii!" Shirota greeted, moving inside the room with the help of his crutches, a grin on his face.

Aiba peeked from behind Shirota. "Happy Birthday~" he greeted with a smile.

Kimeru chuckled. "It's a good thing I brought your breakfast upstairs too," he said.

"We didn't mind having to come down for breakfast, Kime-nii," Shirota said with a smile before he eased himself down into a chair.

Takigawa smiled before he nodded to the two. "Arigatou," he said gratefully.

"It's alright. This way we can all have breakfast together," Kimeru said with a smile. He handed the three their plates before the sound of the doorbell was heard. "I'll get it," he said before rushing downstairs.

"Kime-nii really took the time to plan everything for today, didn't he?" Shirota said with a chuckle.

Takigawa merely nodded before attending to his breakfast.

Kimeru came up moments later with a paper bag. "Fanmail~" he said as he placed it on the floor near the door.

"So people still remember your birthday's today, Eiji-nii," Shirota teased, chuckling.

"Of course~ They _are_ fans," Kimeru answered with a chuckle. After the four had breakfast, Kimeru brought down the dishes to wash them.

When Kimeru had went downstairs, Takigawa went to have a quick shower and got dressed for the day while Shirota and Aiba were talking to themselves about later.

-break-

Kimeru walked out to the living room and grabbed the four suits that were delivered along with the mail. It was an exact copy of their senior high uniform; one for each of them. He placed Aiba and Shirota's in their room along with his while he left Takigawa's in a traveling bag. "You'll be worn much later…" he said with a smile before heading back to the room where the other three was. Kimeru looked inside the room and smiled at the other three. "Aibacchin~ You and Shirotan will go ahead of Eiji and I today okay? Someone will pick you up in an hour," he said simply.

Shirota grinned, nodding to Kimeru. "Hai~" he replied.

Takigawa was halfway from fixing the bed before he turned to the J-Pop singer, raising an eyebrow. "Going where?" he inquired.

"You'll find out after a while," Kimeru said happily as he went over to Takigawa and kissed him on the cheek. "Why don't the two of you get ready and I'll keep tou-san over here busy," he suggested.

"Hai..." Aiba said as he got up.

Shirota got to his feet with the help of the crutches before following Aiba out. "We know when we're not wanted in the room," he said slyly. "Ikuzo, Hiroki~" he said as he moved to the door.

Takigawa blinked, looking over from Shirota and Aiba to Kimeru and back. "I'm at a loss here..." he admitted.

-break-

Aiba closed the door as he and Shirota left the room. "Eiji-nii has no idea what's in store for him," he said with a chuckle. "It would seem that Kime-nii pulled every trick he could think off to make this work. I wanna see how the uniforms came out. Let's go~"

Shirota nodded as he followed Aiba back to their room where, upon entering, saw them on the bed as a wide grin spread across his face. "It's been a while!" he said excitedly before moving towards them.

-break-

Kimeru smiled. "Don't worry about it~" he said. "By the way...this came in with the fanmail," he said as he handed an envelope to Takigawa which contained a letter from his parents.

Takigawa looked at the envelope and took it. He took out the letter and read it. "Eh? Why'd my parents bother to write?" he inquired, looking over to Kimeru with a frown. "I already called them up a while back, didn't I?"

Kimeru shrugged. "Maybe they wanted to go an extra length since today is your birthday?" he suggested.

Takigawa shrugged, folding the letter back up and putting it back in the envelope. "I guess so..."

Kimeru patted him on the shoulder and grinned, before checking the time.

-break-

Aiba looked at the uniforms before taking the one for Shirota before handing it to the boy. "Here you go~" he said.

Shirota took it before blinking. "You should go and change first..." he muttered. "I know you're excited to putting it back on," he said slyly.

Aiba grinned. "Of course I am," he said as he grabbed his own uniform and headed to the bathroom to change. He went back moments later; the blazer hanged on his shoulders. "How do I look?" he asked with a smile.

-break-

Takigawa set the envelope on the bedside table before moving to finish fixing the bed. "So what are we doing today?" he inquired as he straightened up, turning to face Kimeru with a smile.

"The afternoon is a surprise, for now...I can't let you see the kids," Kimeru explained. "So I think it's best if I give you your first present," he said as he went over to the drawer and took out a CD. "It's called Marionette. My latest PV and it'll be out by next year," he said as he handed it to Takigawa.

Takigawa blinked, taking the CD and looked at it for a long time before inquiring, "Will this be like that 'Pleasure of Love' PV you showed me long ago..?"

"Nope. It's absolutely nothing like it," Kimeru said with a grin. _'Absolutely nothing...'_ he repeated slyly in his mind. "And it's really meant as a gift for you."

Takigawa eyed Kimeru for a long moment before sighing. "If you say so... But if I get a nosebleed from this..." he warned as he moved to the TV and popped the CD in the player. "You want me to watch this _now_, right?" he inquired, turning to look over to Kimeru.

"You'll survive...it's all black and white anyway," Kimeru said with a chuckle. "And yes, go ahead and watch it now."

"Whether it's black and white or colored is beside the point..." Takigawa reasoned as he pressed play and moved to the bed and sat down as the video started.

-break-

Shirota returned to the room wearing the uniform. "The pants were a bit more difficult to work with," he explained as soon as he entered, grinning.

Aiba smiled as soon as Shirota came back. "It looks great on you~" he said as he went over to him. "This reminds me of our Senior High day-" he was cut off as he opened the door. A familiar sound of a music box filtered out from the slightly opened door of the guest room.

-break-

Kimeru smirked and stepped back, effectively closing the door before locking it.

-break-

Shirota looked over to Aiba. "What's wrong?" he inquired, furrowing his brows.

"I thought I just heard Kime-nii's 'Marionette' song..." he said before shaking his head. "That means we shouldn't bother them for a bit."

"But we're not supposed to bother them in the first place," Shirota stated, chuckling. "We'll be going ahead of them to the school, anyway."

"Hai~ Let's hope that Eiji-nii survives that video," Aiba said with a smile as he heard a knock. "A-re? That was fast..." he said.

Shirota blinked. "Exactly what kind of a video was it, anyway?" the boy inquired as he turned to the door.

"Well...it's absolutely nothing like "Pleasure of Love" that's for sure..." Aiba started. "...but that's because Kime-nii is also wearing absolutely nothing in it," he finished with a grin.

"Aibacchin~ Shirotan~" Nagayan called out from the front door.

Shirota's eyes widened in alarm. "Mou, why'd you have to say that?" he said, shaking his head vigorously. "I don't want to have that image in my head!"

-break-

Takigawa's eye twitched throughout most of the video. When it had ended, he cleared his throat and took a deep breath before slowly exhaling. _'As long as you didn't faint... as long as you didn't get a nosebleed...'_ he told himself before turning to Kimeru, grimacing. "It was good."

Kimeru chuckled as he patted Takigawa on the shoulder. "That's your copy," he said as he took out the CD, placed it back in its case and handed it to Takigawa.

Takigawa took the CD and nodded. "Arigatou..." he said before he pulled Kimeru into a brief kiss.

Kimeru smiled. "No problem," he said.

Takigawa smiled before he moved to stash the CD away.

-break-

Aiba's grin turned to a smirk. "I got first hand visual and you only get to use your imagination," he said. "At least now I don't have to suffer alone."

Shirota frowned before pointing to the door. "Shouldn't we get going? Nagayama-senpai's waiting," he said.

Aiba nodded. "Aa, we should," he said. "Need some help getting down the stairs?" he asked with a smile.

Shirota nodded sheepishly.

Aiba moved in front of Shirota to allow the other to place a hand on his shoulder so he could support him.

-break-

"So let's see...CD...Letter...Ah~ that reminds me!" Kimeru said as he went over to the drawer again and pulled out a blindfold. "You need to put this on~"

Takigawa furrowed his brows. "A blindfold?" he inquired before he looked over to Kimeru. "What for?"

"It's a secret~" Kimeru said slyly.

-break-

With Aiba's help, Shirota managed to get down the stairs. They both headed to the front door and met with Nagayan, who ushered them to the car. "So tell me again what Kime-nii plans to do with Eiji-nii..." Shirota inquired as moved to the car.

"Even I don't know that one," Aiba said with a shrug. "From what I've heard the only one who knows what will happen is his manager."

Nagayan nodded. "That's true...Kime knows how to keep a surprise," he said with a grin.

"I see... Well, looks like we'll just be surprised with Eiji-nii on this one," Shirota concluded.

-break-

Takigawa smiled as he approached the J-Pop singer. "Alright, then..." He took the blindfold and looked at it apprehensively for a moment. "I need to put this on, right?"

Kimeru nodded. "Aa. And then you would just have to trust me with everything, ne?" he said.

Takigawa smirked before nodding. "I'll entrust everything to you, then," he said before he proceeded to place the blindfold in place over his eyes and tying the ends firmly behind his head.

Kimeru nodded in satisfaction. "Leave everything to me~" he said with a smile.

After a few minutes of getting both him and Takigawa dressed in their school uniform and managing to get him downstairs and outside, Kimeru grinned. "Looks like our ride is on time too~"

Takigawa was exploring the clothes Kimeru had dressed him in with his hands. _'A blazer... a tie... Why does this remind me of...'_His thoughts were cut off when Kimeru had mentioned about a ride. "And where are we off to now?" he inquired.

"I won't tell you because it's a surprise~" Kimeru said as he slowly guided Takigawa inside the car.

-break-

A few minutes later they had arrived at the venue of Kimeru's plan: Mitsukaru Senior High. He led Takigawa to the courts and made him stay in the middle. "Stay here for a while…" he said before moving back where the other people he had invited were. They we're quite hidden by the darkness in the school gym and only two lights were on, but they were set to a dim so that Takigawa won't be able to see past the net. "You can take the blindfold off now, Eiji."

Takigawa complied as he undid the blindfold and took it off before blinking to get his sight back. When he had focused, he looked at his clothes before smirking. _'I knew it...'_ he told himself, shaking his head before he spotted a basketball at his feet. "A-re?" He bent down and picked it up.

Kimeru grinned as he moved to the main lights switch. He couldn't identify the people along the way but spotted Sota videotaping everything from one side of the court.

Takigawa took hold of the ball and got to his feet again as he dribbled it for a moment in silence as it echoed throughout the court. He took the ball and saw the basket not too far down ahead of him. He began dribbling again as he slowly took a few steps forward and stopped at the free throw line and caught the ball before raising it over his head and took a shot at the basket.

Kimeru grinned and as soon as the ball was in the net he switched on the lights, which were followed by a chorus of "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" and some party poppers.

Takigawa jumped at the lights being turned on, the chorus of greetings and the party poppers as he blinked to adjust to the light and looked around before seeing a number of people there. "I knew I should've missed that shot…" he muttered to himself before he grinned. He searched the place for Kimeru before smirking. "So was this your surprise?" he called out. "Arigatou~"

Kimeru smiled and shook his head. "You deserve it, Eiji," he said simply before handing a clipboard he was holding to his manager. "Part two of my gift is revealed," he added happily before going over to Takigawa.

Takigawa blinked. "What, there's more?" he asked incredulously.

"You'll just have to find that out," Kimeru said with a wink. "For now, why don't you go see whp came to your party?"

-break-

Aiba grinned as he saw the two in the middle of the courts. By some miraculous power, Kimeru had managed to book the entire school just for this occasion. _'Never doubt the powers of a J-pop singer...'_ he said to himself in amusement.

-break-

Takigawa shook his head, chuckling. "Anybody besides the Seigaku first cast, Shirota and Aiba, Ueshima-sensei, the Fudomine cast and the Basketball varsity members who I got to meet until I graduated would be a surprise," he admitted.

"How about your parents then?" Kimeru asked as he gestured to Takigawa's parents that were nearby.

Takigawa turned to them and blinked. He saw them wave at him before they approached. "I thought you had plans!" he accused, pointing a finger at them.

Takigawa Sumire chuckled. "After all this time, you can't tell if we were serious or not with the letters we send to you, Eiji?" she inquired fondly.

Takigawa Kaito smirked, patting his son on the shoulder. "We wouldn't miss celebrating your birthday with you!" he said with a hearty laugh.

Kimeru smiled. "It was actually my idea that they tell you they had plans. I wanted everything to be a surprise," he explained.

Eiji looked over to Kimeru and frowned. "But they said that-"

"Forget it, Eiji! We're not that heartless to schedule anything on your birthday!" Kaito interjected with a grin.

-break-

Aiba smiled as he watched the others go to Takigawa to greet him. "Kime-nii had a good idea when he thought of holding the party here, ne?" he asked Shirota who was just beside him.

Shirota smiled, nodding. "Aa. This was initially where everything started, after all..."

"I heard that we can even visit our old rooms later," Aiba added. "...as well as other places."

Shirota turned to Aiba, his eyes widening in understanding. "The rooftop..." he muttered.

"Exactly...and I heard that they made the rooms air-conditioned and installed an elevator~~" Aiba said with a grin.

Shirota turned to Aiba. "Well, that's great and all, but why did they wait until we graduated to do all that?" he demanded, frowning.

Aiba laughed. "Maybe because it was only after a few years of our graduation did they start receiving very hefty donations for the school," he explained.

"As if that Buddy Week idea and the musical didn't raise enough to fund all those when we were in first year..." Shirota defended.

"It was enough to renovate some rooms but not enough to have an elevator installed, Yuu," Aiba reminded him. "Anyway...want to get something to eat? The program will start in about 10 minutes...so it gives us enough time to grab something."

-break-

Takigawa was reacquainted with his old teammates as they began talking about random things while his parents were chatting with Kimeru's manager.

-break—

Kimeru slipped away from the venue for a while and entered through a back door that led to an area that was hidden from the rest by a black cloth. "Ready when you are guys…" he told his companions; the former band club.

-break-

Shirota frowned. "You can go on ahead. I want to rest my leg," he stated, gesturing to his injured leg with a small smile.

"Shirotan!" Endo called as he approached him.

"How's your leg doing?" Yanagi added.

"Yuuyan... Yanagi..." Shirota said with a smirk. "It's doing fine."

"I'll go get us something then~" Aiba said before Endo and Yanagi came by. "Endo-kun~ I hope you already removed that picture from your blog," he added before heading to the buffet table where Adachi, Kenken and Takuya already were.

Endo blinked over to Aiba. "Eh?"

Shirota pointed accusingly at Endo. "Ahh! That's right!"

"If you're talking about that picture of the two of you, I've already put it down," he said hastily.

-break-

Kimeru checked the sound system one last time before activating the mic. Nagayan nodded to him before starting a beat on the drums that were immediately followed by the sounds of the guitar.

Takigawa looked around when he heard the drums and the guitar start to play. _'Kime?'_ he thought as he furrowed his brows and looked for the J-Pop singer.

Kimeru grinned as before he nodded at the rest. Just after he sang the first line, the black cloth covering them was dropped, revealing a small stage that they were on.

_'You got game? donna SUPIIDO no naka mo  
toki wa kawaranai RIZUMU wo kizande  
Drive my heart! tatoe tooku hanareteitemo  
minna onaji sora no shita iru kara_

_Ah me wo tojite yubisaki de sukitooru kaze kanjite  
Oh daremo minna [KATACHI] naki omoi no uta wo kakaeteru_

_Hajimari wa owari kara kurikaesu egao to namida  
ima koko de tobidasou kono shunkan towa ni naru_

_You got game? uneru [SUPIIDO] no naka de  
mune wa mirai e no [RIZUMU] wo kizande  
You got game! bokura doko e demo habatakeru  
tame no sora wa koko ni aru  
You got game? donna [SUPIIDO] no naka mo  
toki wa kawaranai [RIZUMU] wo kisakende  
Drive my heart! bokura nandodemo habatakeru  
aoi sora wa koko ni aru itsudemo_

_Ah hito tsubi no yume no tane rasen wo egaki kobore ochi  
Oh dorekurai nemureba hitori de tsuyoku nareru darou_

_Kurushimi mo kanashimi mo hontou no kokoro no sugata  
ima subete uketomete asu wo egaku azayaka ni_

_You got game? koe ga todokanai basho demo  
asa wa atarashii hikari wo hakonde  
You got game! hiroi sekai de hitotsu dake no  
hana wo sakaseru no wa bokura  
You got game? donna [SUPIIDO] no naka mo  
toki wa kawaranai [RIZUMU] wo kizande  
Drive my heart! tatoe tooku hanareteitemo  
minna onaji sora no shita iru kara_

_You got game? uneru [SUPIIDO] no naka de  
mune wa mirai e no [RIZUMU] wo kizande  
You got game! bokura doko e demo habatakeru  
tame no sora wa koko ni aru  
You got game? donna [SUPIIDO] no naka mo  
toki wa kawaranai [RIZUMU] wo kisakende  
Drive my heart! bokura nandodemo habatakeru  
aoi sora wa koko ni aru itsudemo'_

The people gathered cheered as Kimeru sang _**'You Got Game'**_, reminding them of the J-Pop singer's mini-concerts that he gave out at the end of each TeniMyu production.

Takigawa smiled fondly at this as he watched Kimeru from where he was standing.

As the song ended Kimeru grinned at everyone. "Everyone~ Thanks for coming to Eiji's birthday!" he started. "This afternoon we will have a number of presentations for our birthday boy over there," he said with a wink at Takigawa.

Takigawa tilted his head slightly as the people around him clapped with enthusiasm.

"You should sit down, Takigawa-kun," Tuti suggested.

"No, I'm fine..." Takigawa replied, declining the offer.

"Before we begin, I would like to ask the first cast to get prepared...yes Yanagi, you too," he added as he spotted the Echizen actor with Shirota and Endo.

Yanagi groaned before excusing himself and joined the other cast members.

Aiba returned to Shirota's side and handed him a plate of food. "Wanna bet that they're doing a myu routine?" he said.

Shirota chuckled. "I'd be surprised if they didn't," he admitted, nodding his thanks for the food.

Kimeru grinned as he looked at the rest who had their Seigaku jackets on. "The first performance for today will be by the Seigaku first cast. Since some of them still need to get ready, I would like to call the first person who would be giving their message to Eiji due to insistent public demand. Moriyama Eiji."

Moriyama got up on stage and took the microphone, nodding to Kimeru before waving to the crowd. "So... Happy birthday, Takigawa-kun!" he began with a grin. "E-to, on behalf of all those present here today, who seem to have realized too late that we are all connected through this High School, arigatou for remembering. When we all got acquainted for this TeniMyu as the first cast of Seigaku, I believe it did not cross our minds that we _did_ meet before. That we were once schoolmates back in the day."

Moriyama smiled as he pointed to Takigawa. "That you were actually that very same Vice President under me when I was running the Student Council in my senior year. For everything, arigatou."

Kimeru nodded at him as the crowd applauded. "Aa...even I forgot about it all and remembered recently..." he muttered before going up to the mic once again. "Yosh, since everyone seems to be ready...Everyone, please welcome the Seigaku first cast!"

Takigawa was forced into a seat on the court by Ara-yan and Kaji before the first cast had begun with their performance.

-break-

The afternoon went on with various performances from the others and during the last leg of the event, some people were asked to make a few messages. After some of the cast gave their message, Takigawa's parents were called up to the stage.

Kaito and Sumire got up on stage to a round of applause as the father took the microphone and addressed the people gathered. "First of all, my wife and I would like to thank you for taking your time to celebrate Eiji's birthday today. From this gathering...we were able to meet a few of Eiji's friends from school and cast mates from TeniMyu," Kaito began.

Sumire took the microphone. "We feel reassured that your company with our son up until now has not diminished. In all the years that we have been overseas, we've come to terms that he has matured and has grown successful in everything he has done due to all your support. So thank you."

Kaito looked over to his son and nodded. "To our son, we hope that you spend the rest of your life being happy and successful as you are. With all these people you have befriended, especially Kimeru-kun, Shirota-kun and Aiba-kun who are always looking out for you. Even until now."

Eiji nodded to his parents.

Sumire smiled. "We will continue to support you, and know that we are but a phone call or drive away, Eiji," she added before turning to Kimeru. "We will count on you, Kimeru-kun," she finished before they went down from the stage.

Kimeru smiled and nodded over to them before going up the stage. "Well...before I give my message...there are two people who gave me a last minute gift to give for Eiji. So if everyone would please turn their attention to the LCD screen over there..." he said as he pointed to the huge screen.

Aiba and Shirota had managed to get a few video clips from various people of what came around in and out of tenimyu. Together they had put together a five minute compilation for Takigawa. It was a small video/slideshow accompanied by the instrumental version of "All the time". By the time the song ended the two were on stage.

Shirota, supporting himself with the crutches, nodded to the crowd before he took the microphone and brought a hand up. "I guess I'll go first. Hiroki and I will just take turns in our speeches as we go along, I suppose," he said before arranging the microphone on the stand, adjusting it slightly before nodding. "Well, besides the usual greetings I'm to give to Eiji-nii today, I primarily wanted to prepare some special dish on my own to celebrate today. But I guess all this was a much better idea, ne Hiroki?" he started, grinning as he looked over to Aiba beside him.

Aiba chuckled. "Of course it's much better since Kime-nii put in a lot to make this all a huge success," he said. "After all, this is a great opportunity for some of us to show Eiji-nii our gratitude."

Shirota nodded. "Gratitude for too many things, it seems," he said. "At first I thought it was just for helping out from time to time as a graduate of TeniMyu... But it turned out that he had been helping quite a lot even back in our Senior High days..." he said fondly. "I'll openly admit that I had forgotten those days until recently. And I humbly regret it because Eiji-nii and I had such a close relationship back then..."

Aiba smiled. "I also admit that I forgot about those times when I knew that I shouldn't have. After all, Eiji-nii was one of the people who helped me out of a very tight spot," he said as he looked at Takigawa. "And even after all those years I never had the chance to thank him."

"For everything, Eiji-nii; whether it was to help us along back in our Senior High days, taking care of us when we were injured as you are now, and everything else you've done until now... For doing all this and caring for us as fondly as you have, you have our respect, as well as our love," Shirota said with a smile. "Though not as much love as Kime-nii will give you, of course," he added with a grin.

Takigawa chuckled. "I know, Shirotan. I know," he said reassuringly to the boy.

Aiba looked around and spotted Kimeru. "So I guess without further ado, let's call on Kime-nii."

Kimeru, who was talking to his manager about something, heard his name being called and went up the stage. "My turn already?" he asked with a grin as Shirota and Aiba stepped aside for him. "Well, to be honest I'm a bit of at a loss for what to say this afternoon. After all, when you get to say everything you want to say to a person every single day what more is there left to say?" he said with a chuckle before focusing his attention on Takigawa.

"Eiji...you've been with me for a long time. It was just that I was foolish enough to forget that simple fact. But regardless of that even I am very grateful that you had stayed with me despite everything we have been through. Ever since our Senior High days in this very school we had managed to find a connection...a bond that grew stronger as the years went and remained even if we, or rather I, forgot about it for some time," Kimeru sighed. "And now I'm pointlessly rambling on..." he muttered. "Long story short, I want to thank you for everything and I wish that our relationship keeps growing strong and I hope you gain more friends through the years and at the same time retain the ones that you already have. Happy Birthday, Eiji."

Shirota grinned. "Maybe a message from the birthday boy would be appropriate, ne?" he suggested.

Takigawa smiled as he got to his feet and approached the stage. He moved towards Kimeru and kissed him before gingerly taking the microphone from him. "It seems I should've been armed to say thank you quite a number of times today," he began with a smirk. "But regardless, I _would_ like to thank you all-" He paused to look over to all the others present. "For coming by today and celebrating my special day with me. I'm touched. This place holds a lot of memories for me, and until now, I can recall them as clear as if they had happened yesterday... It was in this place, this gymnasium, that I had sprained an ankle once before..." He looked over to Kimeru with a smile. "And believe it or not, it was in this same place that I had composed my graduation speech."

He took a moment to look at the others before he continued. "There are two places in this school that hold a special place in my heart: this gymnasium, and the rooftop of the main building. I believe it was in the rooftop where quite a number of of us, and that didn't just involve the four of us standing here on stage, confessed our feelings for each other."

Kimeru grinned as he saw some others react at Takigawa's words. "As expected...that place is a sort of magnet for a lot of moments," he said with a chuckle.

Aiba nodded. "Lots of things happen there..."

Kimeru looked at him and Shirota and mouthed: 'We're going there later."

Takigawa brought a hand to his chest. "Wearing this uniform again... And stepping foot here in the school again... And most importantly, seeing all your faces... It may not be everybody, but..." He paused, a smile spreading on his face. "But at least... I'm glad that my wish came true. We all met again. And that's enough for me. Arigatou gozaimasu!" He took a deep bow to everybody before they broke into a round of applause.

Shirota turned to Kimeru and urged him forward.

Kimeru stepped forward in confusion. _'Eh? What am I supposed to do?'_ he thought.

Aiba looked at Shirota and grinned. "It'll be nice to head to the rooftop, later. Kime-nii really made his plan perfect in every way," he said.

Takigawa straightened up before he looked over to Kimeru and smiled. "So was there anything else we were going to do, Kime?" he inquired.

Kimeru grinned as he took the mic for a while. "Please enjoy the rest of the afternoon mingling with everyone," he said with a wink before dragging Takigawa off the stage. "Shirotan~ Aibacchin~ Let's go," he said before nodding to his manager who took over for them.

Takigawa followed Kimeru wordlessly, looking over to Shirota and Aiba, silently asking them with his eyes on what Kimeru had planned now.

Shirota grinned as he followed them as best as he could.

"Oh look, there really is an elevator," Kimeru chimed as he saw the elevator.

Aiba grinned. "How convenient," he said as he got in with the others. "But, Kime-nii...won't the others look for us?" he asked.

Kimeru shook his head. "Don't worry, my manager will signal them that they can walk around the campus when we get back to the court," he said. "And Shirotan, when we do maybe you'd prefer a wheelchair?" he asked.

Shirota shook his head. "I'm fine," he replied.

"You don't need to go acting all tough on our expense," Takigawa reassured him with a pat on the shoulder.

Shirota frowned. "But I'm not..." he debated.

"Top Floor. We're here~" Kimeru said as the doors slid open.

Aiba followed the other three out to the rooftop and smiled as he looked around. "Nothing much has changed besides the fact that it's messier," he said.

"Nobody bothers coming up here anymore," Shirota observed as he looked around as well.

"While that may be true..." Takigawa called, smiling. "It doesn't change the fact that it was this same spot where a lot of things happened..."

Aiba nodded as he took a few steps forward. "It's like being back in Senior High..." he mused.

Shirota frowned as he looked over to Aiba. "But that first time we came up here... was the day after I went to talk to your family..." he stated.

Takigawa smiled. "I'm surprised you remember something as important as that, Shirotan. I'm impressed," he teased.

"Yes it was...but it was also the same day that I told you that I liked you, right?" Aiba said as he looked at Shirota with a smile.

"That and that you broke down in tears," Shirota added with a chuckle.

Aiba chuckled. "Yes that too..."

"For me it was when my band mates decided to start playing match maker," Kimeru put in.

"What, when I accidentally came up that morning to see you injured, you mean?" Takigawa inquired with a raise of his eyebrow.

"Yes, that's the one. Same day that Nagayan just couldn't keep his mouth shut," Kimeru muttered.

"Nagayan's always been there when it came to matters like that," Takigawa said fondly as he looked around.

Shirota nodded. "Now that you mention it, you're right..." he stated.

"We often called him our voice of reason and source of excuses and alibis way back in high school..." Kimeru recalled.

Shirota checked the time. "I want to see the classrooms!" he exclaimed.

Takigawa turned to Shirota. "Are you sure you'll manage with those? You'll tire yourself out eventually, you know..." he warned.

"Want me to get the wheelchair?" Kimeru asked. "It'll be easier for you to move around, Shiropon," he suggested.

Shirota frowned, looking between the two and sighed. "Fine..."

Kimeru smiled. "I'll go get it," he said as he opened the door leading to the stairs.

Aiba watched Kimeru as he left for a while before looking at Takigawa. "So, Eiji-nii...what do you think?" he asked.

Takigawa smiled solemnly. "I doubt this is the end of it, though..." he said, looking around. "I've known Kimeru long enough to know that this won't be enough..."

Aiba grinned. "That's true...Kime-nii won't settle for anything average as long as it's for you, right Yuu?" he said with a meaningful glance at Shirota.

Shirota nodded.

"That's not the only reason, though..." Takigawa said with a soft smile.

"A-re? Then what's the other reason?" Aiba asked curiously.

"Let's say there are still a few things he has yet to repay me for..." Takigawa explained.

Aiba was still confused but decided not to press the topic. It was then that Kimeru rejoined them, coming out of the elevator, pushing a wheelchair in front of him. "Here you go, Shiropon," he said brightly.

Shirota eyed the device before he moved to sit down on it, folding his crutches and storing them in the compartment underneath. Takigawa, upon instinct, took over and grasped the handles of the wheelchair. "Shall we get going, then?"

Aiba blinked when he saw Takigawa move behind the wheelchair. "Now now, Aibacchin; we all know that you can't push the wheelchair even if you wanted to," Kimeru reminded him.

Shirota turned to Aiba and grinned before stretching out his hand. "That doesn't mean you can't hold my hand, Hiroki," he suggested with a reassuring grin.

Kimeru chuckled. "You two always find your way around things one way or another..." he mused.

"It beats sulking," Shirota reasoned.

Takigawa smirked. "I'm impressed."

"Let's head to the classrooms," Kimeru said as he pressed the down button on the elevator. "Which one first?" he asked the group.

"Which one was closer to the stairs again?" Aiba asked them.

"Since we're in the main building, the closest classroom to visit would be the third year classrooms," Takigawa stated. "Unless they've reassigned rooms, that is."

"I sure hope they didn't," Aiba said.

Kimeru shrugged. "Third year classrooms looks all the same to me. What I want to see are the second year rooms."

"You realize that the four of us shared the same 3-1 classroom, don't you, Kime-nii?" Shirota whined playfully.

Kimeru shrugged. "Even if that is so...I really didn't like my third year days," he reasoned.

Takigawa turned to Kimeru ruefully as he moved forward to press the '1' button. "Let's visit the second year classrooms, then."

Kimeru grinned before linking his arm around Takigawa's. "That's more preferable," he said.

Takigawa smiled before they reached the first floor, pushing Shirota forward as the group headed off in the direction of the second year classrooms. "This brings back quite a lot of memories, doesn't it?"

Kimeru nodded. "Aa…" he said as he looked around. "I remember everyone getting out of my way once the lunch bell rang," he said in amusement.

Aiba grinned. "It was either that or get trampled," he told him.

Takigawa chuckled silently at this.

Shirota grinned. "Everybody knew you wanted to head to the cafeteria without trouble, so they silently agreed and just got out of your way."

Kimeru grinned. "That and they knew that they'll be facing my wrath if ever they got in my way," he added.

Takigawa rolled his eyes as he stopped walking, observing that they had reached the second year classrooms.

Kimeru grinned as he slid open the fist classroom they came across. "2-1," he announced as he peeked inside.

"It's our classroom, Hiroki~" Shirota said enthusiastically. "And Eiji-nii's," he added.

Kimeru frowned. "Sure...rub it in that I'm not in this section, why don't you," he muttered.

Aiba patted him on the shoulder. "There there, Kime-nii. You were in section one in your last year of Senior High."

"And mind you, that's a big achievement," Shirota said with an encouraging smile.

Takigawa nodded.

Kimeru shrugged. "I guess it was...but it's all thanks to Eiji," he said as he winked at Takigawa.

Takigawa smirked before pulling Kimeru into a chaste kiss before pulling away. "Perhaps you'd like to visit the cafeteria now?" he offered.

Shirota looked over his shoulder to Takigawa and frowned. _'He's purposely avoiding the topic...'_

"Let's let the two see the first year rooms at the very least before we head to the cafeteria. I'm sure that at least one of them wants to see it," Kimeru said with a chuckle.

Aiba looked at Kimeru and shrugged. "I'm okay with heading to the cafeteria," he told the group.

Shirota nodded his agreement to this. "And maybe we could visit the auditorium and the courtyard next," he suggested.

Aiba nodded. "I heard that a number of renovations have been made to the auditorium," he told them. "I want to see the changes."

Takigawa nodded. "Then we shall head off to the cafeteria, then," he announced, pushing Shirota forward.

Aiba and Kimeru followed as they looked around the building. "Seriously, Kime-nii...what did you do to manage to book the entire school?" Aiba asked.

Kimeru shrugged. "Things…" he said slyly.

Shirota stretched his arms over his head. "Shirotan enjoys this," he said randomly with a grin.

Takigawa chuckled. "Though I'm quite sure this isn't the end of it," he stated as they headed down the pathway to the cafeteria.

Kimeru looked around as they passed the path towards the cafeteria. "Nothing much has changed here," he said.

Shirota pointed to the courtyard. "The tree's blooming more than I've ever seen it before," he pointed out.

"It was almost dying when we graduated..." Aiba pointed out. "Then again that could also be because the freshman batch back then kept on abusing it."

Shirota nodded his agreement ruefully. "It took a big effort to get them to stop," he stated.

"You ended up becoming Student Council President, didn't you?" Takigawa inquired, patting Shirota lightly on the shoulder.

Kimeru chuckled. "If I heard correctly…a certain someone managed to get them to stop with the help of special effects."

Aiba grinned. "That and a lecture from the SC president."

Shirota groaned. "It's difficult talking to those kinds of people..."

"At least you managed to pull it off, Yuu," Aiba said with a chuckle.

Shirota shuddered. "I'd rather not remember," he stated.

Takigawa raised an eyebrow. "What was wrong with them?"

"They were as stubborn as Watanabe-senpai and as crazy as Kime-nii and Nagayan-senpai combined," Aiba answered with a grin.

Takigawa shuddered slightly at this combination.

Shirota nodded solemnly. "I'm surprised I even managed to convince them of anything..."

Aiba chuckled. "One of them was infatuated with you, so I'm not surprised that the rest listened," he answered.

Shirota pouted at this piece of information.

Takigawa looked down at his kouhai and chuckled. "It's not difficult to believe. After all, you DID place 2nd in our poll in your 1st year..."

Aiba grinned at the memory. "And Kime-nii came in first," he said.

"Just out of curiosity, did you continue doing that poll?" Takigawa inquired, turning to Aiba.

Aiba nodded. "The paper did...and Yuu always came in first," he said as he smirked.

Shirota shook his head. "I think people took things too literally with those polls... I'm just glad we didn't do the 'Buddy Week' idea again after our first year..."

Aiba shrugged. "Even if we did I wouldn't have let you become anyone else's buddy for a whole week," he said.

Takigawa shook his head. "I wouldn't imagine how much you'd be spending just to top everybody, Aiba," he admitted.

Shirota blushed slightly but said nothing.

Aiba smirked. "I had a bank account and a blank check ready if and when they decided to have the buddy auctions."

Shirota's eyes widened before pulling on Takigawa's sleeve. "Eiji-nii, can we go to the cafeteria already?" he inquired, noticing that they had stopped in their walk over to said establishment.

Aiba chuckled and grinned. "I was just kidding, Yuu," he said.

Takigawa chuckled before resuming their walk in silence.

Once they reached the cafeteria, Aiba was the one who pushed open the door. "They have a vending machine..." he pointed out once they were inside. "Not only that… This place seems…bigger."

"Less tables, that's all," Takigawa pointed out.

Shirota chuckled. "They must've realized until after we left how crowded they made it look."

Kimeru blinked. "My friends and I just pushed some of the tables together to make more space and one big table," he said. "So I never really noticed that it was all cramped."

"I hardly ever came here when we were in our Senior Year since I was mostly busy with Council work and managing the Soccer team," Shirota pointed out.

"And I had to make sure he always had lunch," Aiba said with a smile.

Kimeru chuckled. "That would have been interesting to see," he said.

Shirota flushed in embarrassment.

Takigawa blinked. "And why are you embarrassed about that?" he inquired.

Shirota shook his head, refusing to expound further.

Kimeru looked at his watch. "We still have some time. Want to see the soccer field, Shirotan?" he asked.

Shirota shook his head. "Maybe just a visit to the auditorium as Hiroki wanted will suffice, Kime-nii," he replied.

Aiba shook his head. "No, it's okay if you want to see the soccer field."

Kimeru inwardly groaned when he realized where this was going to lead to.

"It's not as if anything's changed with the soccer field that I need to see it," Shirota argued.

Takigawa looked between the two before chuckling. "Maybe we should just call it a day?" he suggested.

Aiba paused and simply nodded. "Aa. Kime-nii still has to close the event back at the courts, after all," he said.

Kimeru sighed. "That's right. But it won't take anymore than a few minutes."

"Is there anything else you have planned for Eiji-nii, Kime-nii?" Shirota inquired, turning to the J-Pop singer.

"Yes there's something else but I want to leave it as a surprise," Kimeru said with a grin.

Aiba blinked. "No clues?" the younger Fuji actor asked.

Kimeru shook his head. "None this time, Aibacchi~"

Takigawa inwardly smirked. _'I knew it...'_ he thought to himself. "Then let's head back to the gym, then," he announced.

Aiba sighed before walking with the rest back to the venue.

Once they got back, Kimeru announced that the others could freely go around the campus before closing the event. The rest eagerly went out of the courts to find out how much has changed in their school since they left. The J-Pop singer headed back to the other three afterwards.

-break-

The rest of the day carried on like this before they bid the school farewell and finally made their trip back to Shirota and Aiba's place to spend the night. After assisting Shirota to their bedroom, Takigawa greeted the younger pair a good night before closing the door behind him and moving to his own room with Kimeru as he loosened his tie upon entering.

"You're just going to surprise me again tomorrow, aren't you?" Takigawa inquired as he shed off his blazer.

Kimeru nodded as he sat on the bed while undoing the buttons of his blazer. "That's right so be prepared," he said.

"And what kind of preparation should I do?" Takigawa asked as he moved to the bed, setting his blazer and his tie down onto the carpeted floor before sitting down beside Kimeru.

Kimeru shrugged off the blazer and was now loosening his tie as he faced Takigawa. "Nothing really, you just have to relax," he answered.

Takigawa nodded slowly before leaning forward and kissing Kimeru on the lips before pulling away. "Alright then... I trust you." He got up once more and moved to get changed.

Kimeru chuckled before pulling the necktie off. He stood up and headed over to their magical walk-in closet and looked for something comfortable to change into.

Takigawa got changed into his pajamas before settling into bed, snuggling up the blanket.

-break-

Shirota, with Aiba's help, managed to change out of his uniform and into some sleeping clothes. "Ne, I wonder what Kime-nii has planned for Eiji-nii tomorrow. I'm kind of excited," he said.

"Even I don't know," Aiba said as he sat down on his side of the bed.

-break-

Kimeru stepped out into the room, not even bothering to wear a shirt as he joined Takigawa under the covers after turning off the lights.

Takigawa laid an arm over Kimeru sleepily when he felt the weight settle onto the bed beside him before he let sleep overtake him, feeling more tired than usual.

Kimeru smiled as he moved closer to Takigawa and snuggled up to him before letting sleep claim him as well.

-break-

Shirota laid himself down. "Whatever it is, I'm sure it will be something fun. It _is_ Kime-nii, after all."

Aiba chuckled as he laid down as well. "That's true…mou…now I'm exited to find out as well..." he said.

Shirota nodded before stifling a yawn. "I guess we can postpone our excitement until tomorrow, then…" he said before closing his eyes. "Oyasumi, Hiroki~"

"Oyasumi~" Aiba said before closing his eyes and heading off to sleep.

+++March 25, 2007+++

The following day, Shirota had found himself awake quite early. He blinked a few times, refusing to believe that he had woken up already before groaning and trying to get back to sleep.

-break-

Kimeru was already downstairs at four in the morning, contacting his manager to make sure that everything was ready for the last part of his present for Takigawa. He would have done it the day before but decided against it since the preparations were delayed.

-break-

Takigawa stirred slightly to find Kimeru's side of the bed empty of its occupant as he propped himself up on his elbows, looking around the semi-dark room for a moment. "Kime?" he called out before slumping back to sleep.

-break-

Kimeru, satisfied with the final preparations of things back at the studio, crept upstairs and silently went back to lie down on the bed to get at least a few more hours of sleep.

-break-

A few good hours later, Shirota woke up again, blinking himself awake before he propped himself up and turned to Hiroki, taking his plushie counterpart lying idly on the bed and used its hand to poke the other boy awake. "Hiroki..."

Aiba muttered something before slowly opening his eyes. "Ohayou…" he said sleepily as he blinked.

Kimeru, who came just in time, opened the door and grinned at them. "Good morning, you two. We're eating out for breakfast so get ready in 15 minutes, okay?" he said before leaving the room to wake Takigawa in the other room.

Shirota turned to the door and grinned. "Hai~" The sole idea of eating out for breakfast was a sign to the boy that Kime-nii's final plans for Eiji-nii would be pushing through that very morning.

Aiba was staring at the door after Kimeru left and was still doing so now. "Why do I have a feeling that this won't just be 'breakfast'?" he wondered out loud.

Shirota turned to Aiba. "Who cares? Come on, let's get ready!" he said, unable to hold back his excitement.

Aiba chuckled. "Hai Hai~" he said before getting up to get dressed and helped Shirota prepare as well.

-break-

"Eiji~" Kimeru said sweetly as he shook Takigawa awake. "Come on, wake up~" he coaxed.

Takigawa groaned at the shaking. "Five more minutes..." he bargained sleepily, turning to his stomach, clutching the pillow above him.

Kimeru grinned. "You don't want tp be late for your schedule, do you?" he asked as he stepped back.

Takigawa groaned. "I don't remember having anything scheduled for today," he whined.

Kimeru chuckled. "Come on Eiji~ You seriously don't want to miss the taping of my cooking show, do you? And here I thought you would be proud," he teased.

"Your cooking show..?" Takigawa said, propping himself up and blinked as he looked over to Kimeru.

Kimeru nodded. "Hai~ Now come on~"

Takigawa groaned but got out of bed nevertheless.

"Don't worry, you won't regret getting up early," Kimeru added with a smile.

Takigawa looked uneasily over to Kimeru before heading off to the bathroom to get a shower.

Kimeru chuckled as he sat on the bed to wait for Takigawa to get ready. He checked his watch and smiled. _'Just you wait Eiji...I can't wait to see your reaction,'_ he thought.

-break-

Takigawa emerged from the bathroom and dried his hair off before he returned to the room to get dressed. He paused, blinking at Kimeru for a moment. "What does me having to wake up early have to do with your cooking show?" he inquired as he moved to the cabinet.

Kimeru grinned. "You'll see…" he said slyly. _'Not even asking why I have a show when I'm taking a year off from making projects...how convenient,'_ he thought in amusement.

Still half-asleep, Takigawa got himself dressed and emerged from the walk-in closet after attending to his hair. "I'm ready..." he announced, stifling a yawn.

Kimeru grinned. "Great! Let's get Shirotan and Aibacchin and I'll drive us to the studio~" he said as he stood up and headed out.

Takigawa nodded and followed Kimeru out of the room, stifling another yawn.

"Aibacchin~ Shirotan~ are you two ready?" Kimeru asked as he knocked on the door.

Aiba quickly put on his shirt and opened the door. "Hai~"

Shirota got himself to his feet with the help of the crutches. "Where are we going to eat?" he asked excitedly.

"Eat?" Takigawa repeated, furrowing his eyebrows.

Kimeru simply smiled as an answer. Aiba blinked, wondering what exactly was going on.

"Let's not waste anymore time, let's go," the singer stated.

Without another word, the rest followed Kimeru to the car and got inside.

-break-

Soon enough, they reached the studio. Kimeru was ushered inside by the staff, immediately putting on a chef's uniform. Aiba blinked as he looked at the scene. "Wait a minute...isn't Kime-nii taking a break from making any sort of project for a year?" he asked Shirota who was just beside him.

"A-no...Takigawa-san, you need to put this on, too," one of the staff said as he handed Takigawa another chef's uniform.

"What?" Takigawa repeated as he took the uniform before he was ushered over to a dressing room.

Shirota chuckled. "This is probably the last part of his gift for Eiji-nii we were expecting," he said. "It's a _cooking_ show, after all."

"Ah~ you two are the taste testers…please sit down right here…" the stage manager said as he led to the two to some seats by a counter.

"He's half-asleep, it's expected he doesn't suspect anything," Shirota pointed out with a chuckle, moving forward to his designated seat.

Aiba chuckled as he took a seat beside Shirota. "He's in for quite a surprise, then," he said.

Kimeru stepped into the set and smiled at the two. "Ready you two?" he asked.

"Hai~" Shirota answered excitedly. "What's your theme today, Kime-nii?" he inquired.

"Breakfast meals," Kimeru answered with a wink. "Isn't it obvious?" he teased.

The cameraman looked around and spotted Takigawa being ushered to the set as well and signaled to Kimeru. "Ready in 5, Kimeru."

The J-Pop singer nodded as he looked at Takigawa. "Ready, Eiji?" he asked.

Takigawa nodded. "I guess so..." he said, looking at his outfit in slight confusion.

Kimeru handed Takigawa a recipe and smiled. "You know how to do that one right?" he asked.

Takigawa scanned the paper before nodding. "Aa..." he said a bit uncertainly.

Kimeru chuckled as he went on the set, just behind the counter.

"And...Action~" the stage director shouted.

Kimeru winked at Shirota and Aiba before facing the camera.

Shirota grinned at Kimeru, giving him a thumbs-up as the show began. "Who knew Kime-nii had _this_ in mind for Eiji-nii? Kind of sweet," he muttered over to Aiba.

"Welcome back for another episode of Cooking with Kimeru~" Kimeru said with a smile. "Today we have a special guest whom I'm guessing that all of you know by now. I would be rather surprised if you don't," he said with a wink. "Please welcome Takigawa Eiji~"

One of the stage crew gave Takigawa a light push as he stumbled forward into the set with Kimeru, looking over to the camera and smiled uneasily, nodding.

"We also have another pair of guest who will be joining us for the sampling later~ Shirota Yuu and Aiba Hiroki."

Aiba waved at the camera as it zoomed in on them. Shirota grinned and waved alongside Aiba.

"For this episode we will be making today is a simple breakfast dish," Kimeru explained as he nodded to Takigawa.

Takigawa turned to Kimeru. "But I'm just the guest here, so I should leave you with cooking this one, Kime," he teased. "It _is_ your cooking show, after all..."

Kimeru shook his head. "It's your cooking show now too, you know," he said with a grin as he gestured to a small TV at the side, which was showing the title of the show. "See, it says so right there."

Takigawa frowned before sighing. "Fine, fine. I don't see why you would want me to-"

"Everybody should see how great a cook you are!" Shirota pointed out eagerly.

Kimeru nodded and smiled. "This is the last part of my gift for you, Eiji," he said.

Takigawa looked over to Kimeru and smiled genuinely before capturing his lover in a chaste kiss before turning to the camera with a warm smile. "So, today we'll be making French toast," he explained.

-break-

Aiba grinned. "He recovered quickly..." he muttered over to Shirota as Kimeru took a step forward and showed the ingredients as they were mentioned.

"It's Eiji-nii. What more would you expect of him?" Shirota whispered in reply.

Aiba chuckled. "That's true," he said in amusement as he watched the two moving around the set. "Kime-nii...Eiji-nii...don't forget about the time limit," he teased.

Shirota leaned back on his seat. "Eiji-nii's used to time pressure..."

Takigawa moved quickly and with Kimeru's help, transferred the finished product from the pan onto a plate.

Aiba checked at the clock. "With three minutes to spare...that was fast." he commented with a smile.

Kimeru nodded, before he looked at the camera. "Now that the French toast is done, let's see how it turned out," he said as he placed the plate in front of their two guests. "Kids first," he said with a grin.

Takigawa took the butter and bottle of syrup from the counter and approached the two. "I advise our viewers that French toast is eaten quite similarly with pancakes and waffles, so some butter and syrup should enhance the taste," he explained.

Shirota took them and spread each evenly on the French toast. "I haven't had Eiji-nii's French toast in a while. I'm excited," he admitted with a chuckle.

"I'm just hungry," Aiba said, earning a round of laughter from the crew around them.

"You'll have to blame Kimeru for having us wait this long then, Hiroki," Shirota teased.

Aiba nodded as he looked at Kimeru who gestured to the plate in front of them. "Then I won't stop you from getting one," he said with a smile. "Just don't put too much syrup this time around."

Aiba chuckled. "Hai hai~" he said before the older Fuji actor looked at the camera.

"So I guess that would be all for this episode~ Jya ne," he said with a wink.

"And…that's a wrap," the floor director said with a grin. "Good job."

Takigawa shook his head as the camera stopped recording before wrapping his arms around Kimeru's waist. "A little warning would've been nice, Kime... But thank you all the same." He gave the J-Pop singer a quick peck on the cheek.

"UMAI!" Shirota exclaimed happily.

Kimeru chuckled. "Then it wouldn't be a surprise~" he chimed.

Aiba grinned. "Come on and join us, or else Yuu and I will finish this all."

"I thought you already know how I am against being in cooking shows..." Takigawa reasoned.

Shirota placed a couple on a separate plate and held it out to the older two. "Here."

"You still have the option of being just a guest, you know," Kimeru pointed out as he sat down on a chair across the other pair. "And besides, shows like this can bring out some of your hidden potentials," he added offhandedly.

Aiba nodded in agreement. "That's right, Eiji-nii. Why not give the show a chance?" he asked.

Takigawa sighed.

Shirota patted him on the back. "Would it hurt to try it, Eiji-nii?" Shirota teased.

"You really don't want to?" Kimeru asked, as he looked at Takigawa.

Takigawa considered it and looked over to Kimeru. "Well, seeing as you _did_ put a lot of effort into making this happen I don't mind..."

Aiba grinned. "And another Tezuka falls," he teased.

Kimeru chuckled. "I wouldn't really call it a 'fall', Aibacchi," he said with a smile.

Both Takigawa and Shirota rolled their eyes.

-break-

After finishing their breakfast, the crew had given them a chance to look around the set for a while longer.

"So are we heading home after this?" Aiba asked.

"How often did you do your cooking show again?" Shirota inquired, looking around the set in a slight dazzle.

"Shoots only once every week," Kimeru answered. "Not much hassle to it."

Shirota nodded in understanding. "And that time limit's always been implemented, right?"

"Aa. Why, Shirotan? Want to try it out?" Kimeru asked with a smile.

Shirota shook his head. "No, I couldn't possibly..." he said hastily. "I'm still semi-injured," he reasoned.

"You can try once you're out of that cast," Kimeru offered.

"I don't think I would do well with a constrained amount of time to work with..." Shirota admitted.

Kimeru chuckled. "You're the type who likes to take his time, then?" he teased.

Aiba smiled. "He works better without the time limit, Kime-nii," he said simply.

Shirota nodded sheepishly.

Takigawa chuckled. "I had forgotten how you bring out the best of your dishes when you have the freedom to do what you like," he teased, patting the second cast Tezuka on the shoulder.

"That's why cookbooks are put to shame in his hands..." Aiba said with a chuckle.

Kimeru smiled. "Tezuka people…" he muttered.

"Don't blame us for being fond of cooking in our own style," Takigawa and Shirota simultaneously accused, pointing fingers to the J-Pop singer.

Kimeru blinked before he burst out laughing. Aiba looked at Kimeru wondering what the hell was so funny before looking at the two Tezuka actors. "Oh…" he said in understanding as he grinned.

Takigawa and Shirota looked at one another before hastily lowering their outstretched fingers. The younger of the two proceeded to have another bite off his French toast.

Aiba smiled before finishing his own share of the food that was prepared. "I'm sure that the TakiKime fans out there would be delighted when they watch this particular episode."

Takigawa rolled his eyes. "Why am I foreseeing a demand for me to come back to this more often..?" he asked no one in particular as he shook his head.

Kimeru chuckled. "Because it'll happen?" he answered as he finished the last of his toast.

Shirota chuckled. "I'd be interested to see what Eiji-nii will be making when that time comes~" he said enthusiastically.

Takigawa frowned. "Don't encourage it any more than I think it'll be!"

"What's wrong with a little extra air time with Kime-nii?" Shirota reasoned with a grin.

Aiba nodded in agreement. "That's right Eiji-nii...don't you like having a show with Kime-nii?" he asked.

Takigawa paused, blushing slightly. "That's not the point!" he reasoned.

"Okay, now you've confused me, Eiji-nii..." Shirota teased.

Aiba chuckled and leaned back on the chair, opting to let Shirota do the talking.

Kimeru smiled as he excused himself for a while to talk to the director.

"All I'm saying is-"

"You're saying that you're not comfortable cooking in front of a camera?" Shirota interjected as he brought up the empty plate. "Earth to Eiji-nii, you cooked up a delicious batch of French toast just now for the show."

Takigawa sighed.

Kimeru came back to the group. "It's okay if you don't want to do this show Eiji," he said as he patted Takigawa on the back.

"Though you asked the director about having a few other episodes with me as a guest, didn't you?" Takigawa accused lightly, looking over to the J-Pop singer.

Kimeru shook his head. "No. I actually asked him to comply with the agreement that the episode will not be shown until the end of the year since I'm on break," he said with a chuckle.

Aiba glanced at the clock on the wall. "Um...I hate to ruin the mood but I still have to prepare to get to practice after lunch...we're doing a dress rehearsal today."

Takigawa turned to Aiba. "You're not ruining any mood," he reassured the second Fuji actor.

Shirota pushed himself from the table before locating his crutches. "Then let's head back home so Hiroki can prepare," he suggested.

Kimeru nodded. "We can leave anytime," he informed them. "The chef's outfit is already yours, by the way," he informed Takigawa.

Takigawa chuckled as he rose to his feet, pulling Kimeru close to him and pecked him on the lips. "Well, thank you for yet another wonderful present, then, Kime," he whispered.

Shirota smiled before turning his attention to Aiba. "Saa, let's go ahead to the car, Hiroki~" he said distractedly.

"Hai hai~" Aiba answered as he and Shirota went ahead.

Kimeru smiled as he placed his arms around Takigawa's waist. "This just means that I would have to find a way to outdo myself next year..." he teased. "I'm glad that you liked my presents."

Takigawa smirked. "And how could I not?" he teased before kissing the first Fuji actor again.

Kimeru returned the kiss before pulling away. "Come on, we better head out unless we want Aiba to be late for rehearsals. It's my turn to go with him, right?"

Takigawa nodded. "Aa. I'm sure Shirotan and I can look for something to do."

"Oh I'm sure you two will…" Kimeru said with a grin. "Come on let's get changed...unless you want to wear that on the way home," he teased.

Takigawa seemed to consider it before shaking his head. "I'll go change," he replied, following Kimeru to get changed.

"I'll go and change with you," Kimeru said with a sly grin before following Takigawa to the dressing room.

-break-

Outside, Aiba and Shirota were already waiting by the car. "I already got your tickets for the Myu. You three are getting front row seats," he said with a wide smile.

"I'd be complaining to Ueshima-sensei otherwise," Shirota teased with a chuckle.

"They sure are taking their time in there…" Aiba said as he glanced at his watch.

Shirota chuckled. "Let them take their time, Hiroki," he stated with a grin.

Aiba looked skywards trying to think of a topic to discuss while they wait. "Eiji-nii would make a good samurai," he said randomly.

Shirota turned to Aiba, raising an eyebrow. "Why would you say that all of a sudden?" he inquired.

"I don't know...it was just a thought," Aiba said with a shrug.

Shirota chuckled. "But I would agree with you there. He would," he replied. After a few moments of silence, Shirota turned to Aiba. "I hope practices are going well for the upcoming Myu, Hiroki?" he inquired offhandedly.

"Well, things are a lot less stressful for me than the rest of the cast since I only appear 50% of the time and Furukawa takes the other half," he explained. "But of course that isn't a reason for Ueshima sensei to go easy on me."

Shirota nodded. "That's true. Though watching the others pull off dance routines must be tempting for you," he pressed with a sly smile.

"Which is why when I'm not presenting, Ueshima-sensei keeps me in his line of vision," he said with a sigh. "Either him, Kime-nii or Eiji-nii..."

Shirota smiled gently, patting Aiba on the shoulder. "It's for your own good, isn't it?" he offered. "Practice what you preach, Hiroki," he chided.

"Hai hai~" Aiba answered with a grin.

-break-

Takigawa pulled his shirt on before turning to Kimeru. "Are you done?" he asked.

Kimeru nodded and placed the last of his things in his bag. "Ready to go," he answered with a smile.

Takigawa took the bag where his outfit was stuffed into before bringing it over his shoulder nodding as he outstretched his hand. "Then shall we get going?"

Kimeru nodded before taking Takigawa's hand as he held his bag in the other. "Aa. Let's not keep the two waiting."

Takigawa led the way out to the car. In moments, they spotted the other two before chuckling. "Sorry we took so long."

Shirota shook his head. "It's fine. It's understandable," he reassured the first generation Tezuka actor.

Kimeru checked his watch, "Hmm… How about we all go to Aibacchin's practice?" he suggested. "We can eat out for both lunch and Dinner."

"That would be fine, but that-" Shirota began.

"Will just ruin the surprise for him," Takigawa finished with a chuckle. "After all, he's the only one who hasn't attended Aibacchin's practices, so he has no idea what's going to happen this time around."

Kimeru chuckled. "Oh yeah… Then how about lunch out then you two can drop off Aibacchin and I at the theater?"

Shirota nodded. "That sounds like a plan."

"We wouldn't want someone to get into another accident, now would we?" Takigawa teased as he moved to unlock the car.

Without warning, Kimeru snatched the keys from Takigawa. "I'm driving..." he said with a smile as he went around and got into the driver's seat. Aiba looked at Takigawa before reluctantly getting into the car. "Relax everyone, I won't be driving fast. I'm too lazy to point out the directions to the place I want to take you so it would be better if I drive instead," the J-Pop singer said with a grin.

Takigawa assisted Shirota into the back seat with Aiba before he got into the front seat, closing the door. "Who knows, I might know where the place is," he mused.

Shirota turned to Aiba with a frown. "Do you really think it'll be okay?" he whispered.

Aiba looked warily at the two in front as Kimeru started the car. "I…think so…" he whispered back.

Kimeru glanced at them via the rear view mirror. "Here we go~" he said happily as he drove off.

TO BE CONTINUED. :D

We look forward to your reviews and possible suggestions. :)


	18. Amidst Adversity

**Title:** Anything for You

**Author/Artist:** snooperj & Bloodysamurai

**Series/Pairing(s):** TeniMyu; Mainly Takigawa Eiji x Kimeru, Shirota Yuu x Aiba Hiroki & Watanabe Daisuke x Furukawa Yuuta

**Notes:** Here is the 18th chapter entitled **Amidst Adversity**. We kick-off this chapter with a continuation of the day of the foursome as they head to lunch. The good times quickly come to a halt when they learn that Kimeru's parents have been kidnapped. While Takigawa and Kimeru race against time to try and rescue them, Shirota and Aiba have their own little problem with the arrival of Aiba's older brother Tachibana. Hints of other couples arise in this chapter as well.

We also introduce you to a third Tezuka-Fuji pair that we will focus on: Fourth cast's Watanabe Daisuke and Furukawa Yuuta! In this chapter, we glance into the roots of their relationship as a testimony of greater and better things to come for them. This chapter details the events of March 25 to 27, 2007.

**ALSO! None of the authors of this roleplay/fanfic own TeniMyu or the actors, but are mere fangirls of the musical series and corresponding actors we write about. Everything that progresses in the story is the creation of our witty imaginations.

+++March 25, 2007+++

Around 15 minutes later they arrived at a restaurant with an unusual setting. Instead of tables there were couches and, to Aiba's surprise, beds.

"Nagayan took me here with the others once," Kimeru explained. "Quite a nice set-up, don't you think?"

Shirota blinked, looking around. "Couches and beds...?" he muttered.

Takigawa turned to Kimeru. "And what was the occasion?"

"None in particular, I just thought that it would strain Shirotan's leg if we ate at a normal restaurant. Besides, it's been a while since they ate out," Kimeru said. "So, couch or bed?" he asked with a smirk.

"I applaud your concern, Kime, but I didn't mean now," Takigawa explained. "I was-"

"The bed's a nice change of pace," Shirota interjected.

"What is it now?" Kimeru asked crossly as he looked at Takigawa.

Aiba looked at the two before nudging Shirota as a signal that they should probably move away.

Shirota nodded without being told as he moved off to the side with Aiba.

"I was referring to what the occasion was when Nagayan brought you and the others here before," Takigawa said.

Kimeru sighed. "Bachelor Party," he answered flatly.

Takigawa shook his head. _'Not exactly the best location I would hold a bachelor party, but…'_ he let his thoughts slide before nodding. "If you say so." He took a moment to look around. "Now where did Shirotan and Aibacchi go off to?"

"A-re?" Kimeru said as he looked around.

"We're over here~" Aiba called out as he waved his free hand. He and Shirota were already settled on a bed.

Takigawa took hold of Kimeru's hand and led him over to where the younger couple was. "You didn't waste time looking for a place to sit," he admitted, scratching his cheek with his free hand.

Aiba nodded. "Of course~ we can't have Yuu stand for a long period of time, now can we?"

Takigawa smirked. "Well, that's true."

Shirota was rubbing his cast. "I would've walked around to shake off the numbness, you know," he informed Aiba.

"Numbness?" Takigawa repeated.

Aiba blinked. "What numbness?" he asked as he looked at Shirota's cast.

Kimeru looked around. "Um...anything you guys want to order?" he asked.

Shirota shook his head, a small smile on his face. "I'll be fine."

Seeing that he was ignored, Kimeru took the liberty of ordering for the four of them. Once that was done he looked at the three again.

Shirota nudged Takigawa, gesturing to Kimeru.

Takigawa followed the hint and nodded to the J-Pop singer. "Gomen… So what did you order?"

Kimeru looked at him. "Pasta and a pitcher of iced tea…" he said before standing up. "Excuse me a bit. I have to go to the bathroom…"

"I wonder what's wrong with Kime-nii…" Shirota muttered.

Aiba shrugged. "He was alright just a few minutes ago…"

-break-

Kimeru locked the door of the bathroom and brought out his phone and dialed a number. "I did what you want…now let my parents go…" he said darkly.

-break-

Takigawa's attention wandered over to the bathroom before he got to his feet. "Excuse me..." He headed off to follow Kimeru.

Shirota frowned. "Eiji-nii's obviously worried," he pointed out.

Aiba nodded. "Yeah but…I don't sense anything wrong…Kime-nii has been acting normal in my opinion…" he said.

"But there are things that only Eiji-nii notices in Kime-nii, don't you think?" Shirota offered.

Aiba chuckled. "You're right…if there's something Kime-nii is hiding…Eiji-nii would find out what it is."

-break-

Takigawa reached the door and knocked. "Kime…" he called. "Are you alright?"

Kimeru cursed under his breath and snapped his phone closed. "I'm fine!" he said using his normal tone of voice. He moved back a bit and flushed the toilet and turned on the faucet. He waited for a few seconds before turning the tap off, grabbed some tissues from the dispenser and opened the door. "Something wrong, Eiji?" he asked with a grin.

"Everything alright?" Takigawa inquired, furrowing his brows.

"I don't recall you handling being ignored to just walking away before…" Takigawa pointed out bluntly.

"I had to go to the bathroom, Eiji…" Kimeru said as he tugged Takigawa by the arm. "Now let's go back to Shirota and Aiba."

Takigawa frowned but thought it best not to press the matter. He nodded and followed Kimeru back to the other two.

As soon as they rejoined the two, the food that Kimeru had ordered arrived.

"You weren't kidding when you said pasta…"Aiba said as he blinked at the food in front of him that consist of 4 different pasta dishes that were good for at least 5 people.

"And we were never informed that it would be _this_ big a serving…why?" Shirota inquired.

Kimeru shrugged. "Just wanted to spoil you guys…we can just take home whatever we won't be able to finish anyway," he said. _'Because who knows when would be the next time that I'll be able to spend time with all of you like this,'_ he added in his mind.

Shirota grinned. "If that's the case…" He clapped his hands together. "Itadakimasu~"

Kimeru grinned and echoed what Shirota had said as he got a serving of one of the pastas.

Aiba looked at the selection. "Here's to hoping that I won't be too full to dance~" he said.

"No matter how much you eat, it doesn't seem to affect you," the first Tezuka actor pointed out as he helped himself to another kind of pasta.

Aiba grinned. "Of course it doesn't," he said happily.

"I'm not even going to contest that statement…" Shirota stated as he took a forkful of carbonara to his mouth.

Kimeru ate silently, his mind wondering off.

Takigawa took a moment's glance over to Kimeru before nudging him in the ribs. "Are you alright?" he inquired in a whisper.

"Yeah I'm fine…just thinking…that's all…" Kimeru answered with a small smile.

"You've been doing a lot of thinking today…" Takigawa noted with a slight frown.

"No I haven't", Kimeru answered as he turned his attention back to his food,

Takigawa shrugged. _'Suit yourself… You'll have to end up telling me eventually…'_

The day passed by quickly. With Kimeru and Aiba being dropped off at the theater for the practices, Shirota and Takigawa went back home.

After a few hours the two Fuji actors returned home. While Kimeru was upstairs, Aiba took the opportunity to talk to Takigawa. "Eiji-nii?" he said as he peeked in the kitchen.

Takigawa looked up from mixing the salad. "Something wrong, Aibacchi?" he inquired.

Aiba looked around before moving inside the kitchen. "About Kime-nii…" he started. "He seemed to be troubled about something earlier… He didn't even notice that Nakagauchi accidentally threw a shoe at him."

Takigawa frowned. "I figured that something was bothering him…" he thought as he moved his attention back to the salad. "I'll talk with him later."

Aiba nodded. "Do you need any help here, Eiji-nii?" he asked.

-break-

Kimeru in the meantime stepped out of the shower and sat on the bed with nothing but a towel around his waist. He sighed heavily as he looked at the picture of him and Takigawa that was on the bedside table.

_'I should tell you…but if I do…'_ his thoughts trailed off as he closed his eyes.

-break-

Takigawa shook his head. "I'll be fine preparing dinner on my own. Why don't you go and keep Shirotan company?" The first Tezuka actor paused. "Unless he fell asleep..."

Aiba chuckled. "That's another reason why I'm here, Eiji-nii," he said with a smile.

Takigawa shook his head. "Giving him some cookies for an afternoon snack was a bad idea, then…" he muttered.

"I guess it was," Aiba said in agreement. "Are there any left?" he asked as he inched towards the refrigerator.

Takigawa nodded. "And you're moving towards the wrong place," he said before bringing a hand up and pointing to one of the cupboards. "I kept it there."

Aiba's smile widened as he went over to the cupboard that Takigawa pointed at and took out what was left of the cookies.

"Just make sure that you don't have too much, Aibacchi," Takigawa warned. "I'm afraid you may end up like Shirotan."

"Hai~~" Aiba answered before heading to the living room with the cookies.

Takigawa watched Aiba leave before attending to dinner. _'After dinner... I'll have to have that talk with Kimeru...'_

Kimeru went downstairs and saw Aiba wolfing down the cookies. He went to the kitchen and grinned. "You gave him cookies before dinner?" he inquired.

"I-" Takigawa looked up and saw Kimeru before he closed his mouth. He finished mixing the salad and crossed over to the stove. "I did…"

Kimeru chuckled. "Let's hope he doesn't eat too much then," he said as he looked around. "Need any help here?"

Takigawa shook his head. "I can handle it…" he stated tersely. Silence echoed between the couple as Takigawa busied himself attending to the chicken. "Are you sure you're alright, Kime?"

Kimeru tilted his head a bit to the side. "Why wouldn't I be?" he inquired. The J-Pop artist walked over the counter and leaned back. "Everything's fine, Eiji…there's no reason to think otherwise."

-break-

Aiba noticed that he ate all the cookies. Not only that but it seems that he spoiled his appetite. _'Oh boy…I'm in trouble…'_ he thought.

-break-

_'I'm not the only one who thinks something's wrong…'_ Takigawa thought to himself as he frowned. "Nakagauchi threw a shoe at you earlier and you didn't notice?"

"He wasn't aiming at me you know…so the impact wasn't that noticeable," Kimeru explained.

Takigawa returned his attention to the chicken. "Whatever you say…"

-break-

Aiba, in the meantime, chose to retreat to his and Shirota's room.

Shirota had fallen asleep in their bedroom where Takigawa had transferred him to. He stirred in the bed, pulling his Aiba plushie close.

Aiba slowly opened the door and inched inside the room. He blinked when he saw Shirota still asleep and chuckled to himself. "Kawaii…" he said as he pulled out his phone to snap a picture.

-break-

Takigawa hummed in response as he continued attending to the chicken.

Kimeru felt his phone vibrate from his pocket. "Excuse me fora bit," he said before dashing out.

Takigawa looked up from the chicken and watched Kimeru leave, frowning. _'Why can't you just tell me what's obviously bothering you…?'_

-break-

Kimeru frowned as he ended the call. Again, it was from the one who took his parents. _'A little more tim…just a few more…'_ he begged in his mind.

-break-

Shirota shifted to his side before his eyes opened a fraction. "Hiroki…?" he called out sleepily, blinking the slits of his eyes.

"Yes?" Aiba said from where he was standing while checking his messages.

Shirota slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes. "How long have you been there…?"

"A few seconds~" Aiba chimed as he moved to sit down on his side of the bed. "Is Mr. Sleepy-head finally awake?" he teased.

Shirota continued rubbing his eyes, nodding in response.

Aiba smiled. "Dinner is almost ready, I think," he announced.

-break-

Takigawa had finished making dinner as he headed to set the table.

-break-

"Dinner already?" Shirota inquired. "I can't believe I slept for so long."

Aiba grinned and showed him the picture he took earlier. "Quite the sleeper you are, Shirota Yuu," he teased. "But yes you slept through most of the afternoon."

Shirota examined the picture before taking the nearest pillow and playfully threw it at Aiba. "For the record, I blame the cookies," he defended with a grin on his face.

-break-

Kimeru didn't realize that he had been staring at his phone for some time now, it was when he heard the faint sound of Takigawa setting the table did he snap out of it. _'At this rate everybody will find out that something is wrong…I have to be more careful…Eiji is already noticing…'_

Takigawa, while he was setting the table, made brief glances over to Kimeru but kept it at that as he finished his task. _'I guess I'll have to think up of other ways to figure out what's gotten you to act so differently…'_ he thought to himself.

Kimeru pocketed his phone and looked at Takigawa. "Shall I call them down?" he asked.

Takigawa met Kimeru's gaze for a moment and nodded.

-break-

Aiba evaded just in time and grinned. "Not very nice of you to attack an injured person," he said as he placed his phone on the table nearby and took the pillow before raising it to hit Shirota on the head but stopped when he heard a familiar squeaking sound.

The Fuji actor looked down and saw Momo and Echizen looking "innocently" up at him. Aiba blinked. "Momo and Echizen? What are you guys doing here?"

Shirota took the time to rub his eyes. "I'm injured as well…" he reminded Aiba before he followed Aiba's gaze to the two guinea pigs and frowned. "Shouldn't you two be with your parents?"

Echizen and Momo squeaked once before scampering off the bed and heading downstairs.

Shirota watched the guinea pigs scamper off before he moved his gaze to Aiba. "Think we should follow?" he offered.

-break-

The two zipped into the kitchen. Realizing that no one was inside they sped to the dining room where they saw Takigawa. The two stopped at the Tezuka actor's feet and stared at him hopefully.

Takigawa diverted his gaze and stopped when he looked down to see the two. "What are you two doing out of your cage…?" he inquired, bending over to take them into his hands.

-break-

Aiba shook his head. "I don't think so," he said. "They'll be fine…Kime-nii and Eiji-nii are downstairs after all," he assured.

"Shirotan, Aibacchi~ Dinner's ready," Kimeru said as he entered the room.

Shirota nodded before turning to the door. "Hai~" he chimed, sliding to the side of the bed and grabbing his crutches.

Aiba got off the bed as well and took his phone. "We'll be down in a while, Kime-nii~" he said and the J-Pop singer nodded before heading downstairs.

Shirota got to his feet with the help of his crutches, moving up to Aiba. "Ne, do you think Eiji-nii's figured out what's wrong with Kime-nii?"

Aiba held the door open and thought for a moment. "I'm not really sure but I sure do hope so," he said.

-break-

Takigawa crossed the living room and saw Tezuka and Fuji curled up to each other, a small smile forming on the Tezuka actor's face before opening the cage and slipped Momoshiro and Echizen inside with their parents before closing it once more. Momo pawed at the cage once he was inside and started squeaking.

Kimeru, who had reached the bottom of the stairs, noticed this and went over. "Now what's wrong with you?" he asked as he opened the cage and held his hand out.

Momo immediately crawled to Kimeru's hand and stayed there for a while, looking up at the J-Pop singer who stared back in confusion.

Kimeru sat on the floor while Momo scurried up his arm and nuzzled him on the neck. He sighed heavily before patting the little critter on his shoulder. "Even you notice that I'm not fine…" he said.

Takigawa brought out the food as Pearl followed after him. After setting everything down, the Tezuka actor turned his attention to the Yorkshire. "I'll go and get your food as well, don't worry," he reassured her as he moved back into the kitchen.

Pearl barked before turning her attention to Kimeru and moved up to him.

Kimeru blinked as he heard pearl bark. "Hey there," he said as he patted the dog when she got close enough.

Shirota moved over to the top of the stair case before making a slow descent. Halfway down, he spotted Kimeru with Momoshiro and Pearl as the second Tezuka actor frowned. _'Looks like Eiji-nii hasn't done much yet…'_

Kimeru tried to put Momo back in the cage but the guinea pig bit, scratched, squeaked in panic or slipped out of his hold to run back up his shoulder. "Momo…" he scolded but the guinea pig refused to go back to the cage. Sighing in defeat, Kimeru patted him. "Alright then…you can stay with me."

Takigawa re-emerged from the kitchen holding a bowl of Pearl's food as Shirota and Aiba reached the first floor landing. "Dinner's ready," he stated as he called out for Pearl as the Yorkie ran up to him.

Momo stayed still as Kimeru stood up, Aiba ablinked when he saw this and glanced at the cage and saw Echizen with Tezuka and Fuji, apparently not interested in getting out of the cage to follow his brother any time soon. "Strange…" he muttered.

Shirota moved to the dining table before easing himself down onto an empty seat.

Takigawa, after setting Pearl's food down in the kitchen, joined Shirota at the dinner table.

"Eiji-nii…" Shirota said in a hushed voice.

Aiba looked at the two and decided to walk over to Kimeru for a while. "Kime-nii…" he started as he placed a hand on the singer's arm. "Everything okay?" he asked.

Kimeru forced a smile and nodded. "Yeah…everything is fine…"

_'You should know that of all the people in this house I am the one who knows how to see through that 'Fuji smile' easily,'_ the younger Fuji actor thought.

"Are you going to make us wait any longer?" Takigawa called out.

Shirota frowned. _'Eiji-nii rarely voices out his impatience…'_ he thought.

Kimeru jumped in surprise before making his way to the table, "Gomen…I was just…" he trailed off as he sat down on his usual place shortly followed by Aiba.

"Eiji-nii…" Shirota began, only to be silenced by Takigawa rising slightly from his chair to toss the salad which was non-verbal speak for 'Do not ask'. The second Tezuka actor closed his mouth.

Aiba swore that he could feel the tension in the air as they had dinner. They were all silent, as if waiting for something to happen.

Out of the blue, Kimeru's phone started ringing, causing the singer to drop his glass in surprise which shattered as it hit the ground. Kimeru was stunned for a few seconds before standing up. "I'll clean that up…" he said hurriedly as he took his phone and heading to the laundry room to get a broom.

Shirota's eyes followed Kimeru off to the laundry room before he chanced a glance over to Takigawa.

The first Tezuka actor's attention was brought to the broken glass on the floor, his grip tightening on his utensils.

"Eiji-nii…" Shirota tried again.

-break-

Kimeru answered his phone as soon as he managed to shut the door behind him.

"Kimeru speaking."

_'Tomorrow, you know where. Come alone,'_ the speaker said.

"I know…I'll be there…" he answered before the other end of the line died. He lowered his phone and sighed. "Gomen…minna…" he said quietly before taking a deep breath to calm himself down. He quickly searched for the broom and went back out.

-break-

Aiba looked back and forth between the two Tezuka actors, still unable to say anything.

Takigawa's gaze moved to Kimeru who returned with the broom before abandoning his utensils and slowly rose to his feet. "Excuse me. I realized I'm not all that hungry…" he said bluntly, bowing slightly to the group before heading for the stairs.

Kimeru watched Takigawa leave before turning his attention to the broken glass on the floor. "You two go ahead…I'll just go out for a walk…" he said before sweeping the last of the glass and moving away.

Aiba sighed and looked at Shirota. "Now I know what it feels like if your parents are arguing…"

Shirota watched Takigawa and Kimeru and shrugged, nodding in agreement to Aiba. "What's worse is that I think Eiji-nii could snap anytime. He normally has a long wick of patience to burn…"

"I blame Kime-nii for being so distant this time around," Aiba pointed out as he stabbed his food with his fork. "Let's just hope that they fix this soon…I don't want people fighting during the myu…they won't have fun that way…"

Shirota nodded in agreement before silently returning to his own food.

-break-

Kimeru stepped out, Momo still on his shoulder staying still. The J-Pop singer walked down the street with no definite destination. Something moved behind them and the guinea pig squeaked, causing Kimeru to stop. "What is it, Momo?" he asked.

Momo squeaked once more before snuggling a bit more to Kimeru's neck.

Looking around and seeing nothing, Kimeru walked on.

-break-

Takigawa reached their bedroom, nearly slamming the door behind him as he moved to the bed, sinking down onto it. _'If he won't tell me what's wrong, I'll have to go to somebody who has an idea…'_ Takigawa thought to himself.

-break-

Kimeru came back after an hour. The two second generation actors were already done by then and were talking about something when they heard him come in. Aiba looked up at him as soon as he was in his line of vision.

The J-Pop singer smiled at them. "Go on upstairs, I'll fix up here."

"We were just about to do that…" Shirota admitted as he slowly got to his feet with the help of his crutches. He paused for a moment before adding, "Can't you tell Eiji-nii what's wrong? I'm worried for the both of you…"

Kimeru looked at him sadly. "No… I'm afraid I can't…"

"Don't you trust Eiji-nii?" Aiba asked.

"Of course I do but I don't want him to get killed-" he cut his sentence short and grabbed the plates. "Go upstairs you two…forget that I said anything," he said as he headed to the kitchen.

Shirota turned to Aiba. "He didn't just say what I heard him say, did he?" he inquired.

Aiba frowned. "This may be more serious than we thought…" he said as he looked at Shirota.

Shirota nodded mutely before starting off to head upstairs.

-break-

Kimeru fisted his palms once he put the plates down. "Damn it… I just had to say that…" he said in frustration. Momo squeaked and nuzzled him as if sensing the man's turmoil. This gesture made Kimeru calm down a bit. "I'm okay…" he said as he stroked the guinea pig.

-break-

In the span of that hour, Takigawa had already taken a shower, changed into his sleeping attire and settled into his side of the bed, not bothering to wait for Kimeru.

-break-

Aiba sighed heavily as they reached their own room. "I am seriously not enthusiastic about being in a car with a short fused Eiji-nii tomorrow…"

"He won't get angry with you, I'm sure," Shirota tried to reassure Aiba as he moved to the bed.

"Believe me, that's not what I'm worried about," Aiba muttered.

-break-

As soon as Kimeru was done with the dishes he went to the living room and decided to spend the night there. He looked through the pile of DVDs in the living room before spotting one without a label; he pulled it out and decided to watch it just to see what it was and was also hoping that it would calm his nerves down.

Kimeru plucked Momo from his shoulder and allowed him to scurry around on the floor, and was later joined by Echizen who managed to get out of the cage once again. He turned on the TV and adjusted the volume so that it wouldn't reach upstairs and turned on the DVD player.

After placing the CD in, he went to the couch and laid back on it. The screen was dark when suddenly a familiar tune flowed out of the speakers. Kimeru's eyes widened when he realized that he was about to watch their old senior High play…RENT. His attention was focused on the play that he didn't notice the two guinea pigs scurry up the couch and lay on his stomach.

A few minutes into the play, the screen showed Takigawa alone in the middle of the stage. He was holding his guitar and sitting on a couch, strumming a certain tune. A few lines later, the song for that part of the play started. Quickly recalling the lyrics and the memory that came with it, Kimeru closed his eyes and sang along to the first song that Takigawa sang for him.

_'One Song  
Glory  
One Song  
Before I Go  
Glory  
One Song To Leave Behind_

_Find One Song  
One Last Refrain  
Glory  
From The Pretty Boy Front Man  
Who Wasted Opportunity_

_One Song  
He Had The World At His Feet  
Glory  
In The Eyes Of A Young Girl  
A Young Girl  
Find Glory  
Beyond The Cheap Colored Lights_

_One Song  
Before The Sun Sets  
Glory - On Another Empty Life  
Time Flies - Time Dies  
Glory - One Blaze Of Glory  
One Blaze Of Glory - Glory_

_Find  
Glory  
in a song that rings true  
truth like a blazing fire  
an eternal flame_

_Find  
One Song  
A Song About Love  
Glory  
From The Soul Of A Young Man  
A Young Man_

_Find  
The One Song  
Before The Virus Takes Hold  
Glory  
Like A Sunset  
One Song  
To Redeem This Empty Life_

_Time Flies  
And Then - No Need To Endure Anymore  
Time Dies'_

Kimeru slowly opened his eyes when the song ended and reached for the remote to pause the film. Kimeru brought an arm over his eyes to wipe away the tears that managed to escape him as he sang along. _'Don't let this be the last song…'_ he trailed off as sleep took him over.

-break-

In the middle of the night, Aiba slipped out of the room to get a glass of water. He paused by the foot of the stairs when he noticed a certain glow of light from the living room. Cautiously moving towards the area, he spotted the J-Pop singer asleep on the couch with the TV still on. He glanced at it to see what the older was watching and his eyes softened as he realized what it was.

Quietly, he turned off the TV and the DVD player before dashing upstairs to get a spare blanket from their cabinet. He went back downstairs placed the blanket on the armrest so that he can pick up the two animals that were also asleep on Kimeru's stomach to put them back in the cage.

_'This is one of the times that I wish that I had two hands available…'_ he thought bitterly as he one-handedly placed the blanket over Kimeru.

When the task was done, he sighed. "I wish you would just tell us what's wrong Kime-nii…" he muttered before going back upstairs, his reason for going down in the first place forgotten.

-break-

Shirota sat up, panting. He looked around for a moment before frowning, looking at the clock that displayed the date and the time, a backlight lightly emanating from it.

_'March 25, 11:21 pm'_

Shirota frowned. _'And to think the day started out with Kime-nii taking Eiji-nii to his cooking show…'_ he thought._'That's probably another reason Eiji-nii would be annoyed so long as Kime-nii doesn't tell him what's wrong…'_

Aiba entered the room and spotted Shirota sitting up. "Yuu, is something wrong?" he asked in alarm as he headed to Shirota's side.

Shirota turned to Aiba and slowly shook his head. "It's nothing, Hiroki… I just realized… about Eiji-nii's birthday celebration yesterday and this morning…"

Aiba blinked. "Besides the fact that it all happened in a span of two days?" he asked.

Shirota turned to Aiba, almost glaring at the second Aiba actor in the semi-darkness. "I meant about Kime-nii," he stated. "If he continues avoiding Eiji-nii like this, I will assure you that Eiji-nii will blow a fuse and do a number of things I don't even want to consider…" Shirota frowned, pulling his Aiba plushie close. "Just like back in Senior High…"

Aiba blinked and joined Shirota on the bed. "Senior High…you mean that time after Kime-nii…" he trailed of as he looked at Shirota questioningly.

Shirota nodded silently. "It was the first time I had seen Eiji-nii lose his cool it was scary…"

Aiba frowned. "I can only relate a bit since you only told me what you went through… I didn't exactly experience it…" he said. "But if it's going to be a repetition of the past…then this might get ugly…"

Shirota nodded. "From what I can tell, Eiji-nii's still hanging on to a reasonable length of wick for his patience. But so long as he doesn't get any answers, the shorter the wick will be until he loses all self-respect and lashes out at anybody or anything until he finds out what's going on with Kime-nii," he explained.

Aiba sighed. "Which means we have no choice but to wait for tomorrow to see what happens," he muttered.

Shirota turned to the clock on his bedside table before sighing. "It seems so…" he said. "Saa, let's get some sleep anyway. You have practice to attend," he reminded the younger boy.

"Yeah…come on, let's get some sleep," Aiba said as he lay back on the bed and closed his eyes.

Shirota nodded before lying down as well and snuggling back to get some more sleep.

+++March 26, 2007+++

The next morning, Kimeru unceremoniously woke up by falling off the couch. "What the? Where the hell…" he trailed off, remembering what happened the previous night. "Oh…" he muttered before getting up and heading to the kitchen to start on breakfast.

-break-

Shirota rubbed his eyes sleepily as he stared at the ceiling for a while. He craned his head to check the time and agreeing that it was still early, he closed his eyes and tried to squeeze in a few more hours of sleep.

-break-

Kimeru yawned as he prepared breakfast. "I should really talk to Ei-" he was cut off when he realized what day it was. "…or maybe I should just give him more reasons to hate me so that he won't have a hard time when…"

-break-

Refusing to sleep anymore, Shirota got up, rubbed his eyes and got off the bed. He glanced over to Aiba for a moment before grabbing his crutches and headed out the room. He passed the guest bedroom and took a peek inside and to his surprise, found Takigawa still fast asleep on the bed. _'Strange... He's usually up at this time of the morning…'_ the second Tezuka actor thought before silently closing the door and headed downstairs.

Kimeru was finished with the pancakes and was now off to feed the pets when he heard someone coming down the stairs. "Ohayou Shirotan~" he greeted with a smile.

Shirota slowed his pace down the stairs until he reached the bottom. "Ohayou…" he said, nodding to the J-Pop singer.

"Breakfast is ready if you're hungry," Kimeru told him as he took out the guinea pigs to let them wonder around the living room for a while.

Shirota watched the guinea pigs for a while as he settled on the couch before Tezuka came up to him, settling on his shoulder. "I can wait…" he replied as he took Tezuka and slowly stroked him. "Kime-nii…"

Kimeru looked at him just as he was about to close Q's cage after placing his food in. "What is it, Shirotan?" he asked.

Shirota kept his focus on Tezuka as he spoke. "About Eiji-nii…"

Kimeru froze. "What about Eiji?" he asked as he straightened up to completely face the second cast actor.

"You…really can't tell him what's wrong?" Shirota asked just barely above a whisper.

Kimeru shook his head, "I can't…" he answered quietly.

Shirota closed his eyes, sighing deeply.

"A-re? Why the long faces?" Aiba asked as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

Shirota cringed slightly. "I seriously don't want to have to see Eiji-nii going through so much anguish again, Kime-nii…" he stated quietly.

"What do you mean again?" Kimeru asked as he looked at Shirota.

Aiba went over and joined them. "You mean you didn't know?"

Shirota slowly opened his eyes, setting Tezuka down. "It was…back in Senior High… After you had left in your third year…" he started. "It was the first time I had seen Eiji-nii so troubled about something…"

Kimeru contemplated on this and picked up Momo who was trying to climb up his leg. "I didn't know that…" he said as he placed Momo on his shoulder. "If that was the case then I don't want him to go through it again but…"

"But what?" Aiba asked.

"There are things that…need sacrifices…"

Shirota glared over to Kimeru. "After you left, his patience was on a short fuse since then and had been snappish towards everyone for a long time. He was so distracted he injured himself during one of their _practice_ games," he explained heatedly. "He dislocated his knee…" Shirota closed his mouth for a moment, composing himself before he continued. "But… at the end of each and every day, he would sulk in his room. He locked the door and refused to talk to anyone about it…" Shirota shook his head. "It didn't take a genius to figure out why he was acting the way he did…"

Kimeru fisted his palms and bit back a retort. _'Try to be where I am now…that telling you guys decides everything between life and death of two people that you love…let's see how you would take that…'_ he thought bitterly. "Know your boundaries, Shirota Yuu…" he said with a warning tone before heading to the backyard.

Shirota watched Kimeru leave before taking the nearest pillow and threw it as far as he could-succeeding in knocking over a vase. "BLAME ME FOR BEING WORRIED, THEN!" Shirota shouted in anger.

Aiba winced when he heard the vase crash on the floor. "Yuu…" he said softly as he walked over to Shirota and sat down beside him. He sighed, at a loss for what to say as he laid his head down on Shirota's shoulder and placed his uninjured hand around him as a sign of comfort.

Shirota shut his eyes as tears were forming. He tried his best to hold them back but they came anyway.

-break-

Upstairs, Takigawa was thrashing in bed, as if disturbed by something, before he ended up falling off the bed. He sat up rubbing his head, cursing under his breath. "What time is it?" he muttered darkly, searching for a clock.

-break-

Kimeru took a deep breath and sat by the pool, he closed his eyes for a while and plucked Momo from his shoulder and placed him on the ground. "What would you do if you were in my place?" he asked as he patted the little creature. "What the hell is happening to me…I'm taking to a guinea pig…"

-break-

Takigawa got to his feet sleepily after realizing the time and headed to the bathroom to prepare for the day.

-break-

"Calm down, Yuu…I'm sure that they'll talk about it sooner or later…they always do," Aiba said as he kissed Shirota on the cheek and held him a bit closer.

"I doubt they would…" Shirota muttered after he managed to calm down.

Aiba sighed. "We could hope at the very least," he said before moving to stand up. "I'm going to clean up that vase before someone gets into an accident."

-break-

Takigawa, after getting emerging from the bathroom, headed downstairs. He slowed when he saw Aiba moving to clean a broken vase. "Who broke the vase?" he voiced out.

Aiba smiled. "It was an accident, Eiji-nii…" he explained.

Takigawa's gaze moved to Shirota, who was hastily wiping his eyes. "Shirotan?" he called tentatively.

Shirota forced a smile and turned to Takigawa. "Hai, Eiji-nii?" he inquired.

Takigawa reached the bottom of the stairs and approached him. "Are you alright?" he inquired, furrowing his brows.

Shirota nodded. "Aa, nothing to worry about…" he reassured him.

Aiba cleaned up the mess and couldn't help but wonder what exactly was going on.

Takigawa didn't buy it but thought it best not to press the matter before looking over to the dining table. "Where's Kimeru?" he asked flatly.

"Outside…" Aiba said after finally managing to clean up.

Shirota took hold of Takigawa's wrist before the first Tezuka actor managed to take a step away from him. "He won't tell you…" Shirota muttered. "He won't… because he can't…"

Takigawa turned to Shirota for a long moment. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and exhaled. "So I've realized…" he said in response.

Aiba threw away the remains of the vase before moving back to the two Tezuka actors.

Takigawa's gaze shifted to Aiba. "You should call him back inside for breakfast," he instructed. "We don't want you to be late for your practice, either," he added after a moment before slowly wrenching his hand from Shirota's grip and moving to the table.

Shirota shrugged before he stubbornly got to his feet with the crutches and crossed the living room to the dining table as well.

Aiba nodded before heading outside. "Kime-nii!" he called out.

Kimeru looked up from trying to prevent Momo from jumping into the water. "I'll join you in a bit," he said.

"Now would be a good time," Takigawa called out, taking a detour to join Aiba by the door as he folded his arms over his chest.

Shirota eased himself into a chair at the table and shrugged. _'I'm not sure if I should be amazed or frightened at how Eiji-nii's reacting right now…'_

Kimeru grabbed the guinea pig with both hands before standing up. "I'm coming," he said before standing up and heading to the door.

Aiba stepped aside to let him pass and noticed the tension when Kimeru walked past Takigawa.

Takigawa eyed Kimeru as he entered the house before he stated, "Get started on breakfast, Aiba," he instructed, closing the door behind him. "We're leaving as soon as you're ready to go."

Shirota frowned. _'I knew it... Eiji-nii's patience is starting to wear out...'_

"H-Hai," Aiba answered as he hurriedly went over the dining table.

"Aren't you going to have something to eat, Eiji-nii?" Shirota inquired.

Aiba nodded in agreement, looking at the first generation Tezuka actor. "He's right, Eiji-nii…you should get something to eat."

Takigawa turned his attention to the table for a moment before approaching it, easing himself down onto a seat.

As soon as Takigawa joined them, Aiba noticed the tense silence present among them once more. Sighing inwardly, he decided to finish his breakfast in silence.

Shirota was looking between the two as he ate, groaning inwardly.

When Takigawa was finished, he rose to his feet and excused himself from the table and moved to head upstairs for a while.

Kimeru watched him leave and stood up. "I'm done…" he said.

"But Kime-nii…you only finished half-" Aiba started.

"I'm not hungry," Kimeru cut in.

Shirota shrugged. "You should hurry up, Hiroki. You don't want to keep Eiji-nii waiting for too long," he offered.

Aiba nodded before finishing the last of the pancakes on his plate. "There~" he said with a grin.

Takigawa returned downstairs after a while, moving to retrieve his car keys before looking over to Aiba. "Are you ready to go?"

"Hai!" Aiba said as he took his and Shirota's empty plates to the sink. "See you later, Yuu," he said before kissing Shirota on the lips and heading out with Takigawa. It wasn't until he was in the car did he remember something. _'Wait a minute…I'm supposed to attend practices AFTER lunch…'_ he thought but decided to not say anything, figuring that there was a good reason why Takigawa wanted to leave early.

Takigawa wasted no time in bringing them to the practice venue, parking and escorting Aiba off to the stage before excusing himself to look for Ueshima-sensei.

-break-

About half an hour after the two left, Kimeru looked at his watch. "Shirotan, I need to go out for a bit. I'll be back soon!" he said before grabbing his house and car keys and heading out, locking the door behind him.

No more than three minutes later, the doorbell sounded off.

Shirota, who had settled himself on the couch, took up his guitar and strummed it for a while before Kimeru declared that he would be going out. He shrugged as he continued playing a song before the doorbell rang. He blinked before he set his guitar aside and groaned, taking his crutches and got to his feet, making his way to the door to answer it.

"Did you-" Shirota paused as he opened the door, the rest of his previous sentence forgotten. "Who are you?"

A man smiled down on Shirota. "Good morning. Are you Shirota Yuu?" he asked.

Shirota adjusted his grip on the handles of the crutches, nodding. "And you are…?"

"Tachibana Aiba," the man introduced with a grin. "I'm Hiroki's older brother, and I have the papers to prove it."

Shirota blinked. "Hiroki's... older brother?" he repeated.

-break-

"Aibacchi...What are you doing here in the morning?" Kenken asked as he approached the Fuji actor who simply gestured to Takigawa who made a bee line towards the Director.

-break-

"Sensei!" Takigawa barked.

"Something wrong, Takigawa-kun?" the director inquired.

"Something's wrong with Kimeru, and I want to know what it is," the first Tezuka actor explained heatedly.

Ueshima brought his hands up. "Relax yourself first, Takigawa-kun."

-break-

"Someone seems to be on a short fuse today…" Daisuke muttered as he sat on the back row of the audience area, observing the practice.

-break-

Ueshima led Takigawa to sit down and told him all he knew of Kimeru's current situation.

"The rest you'll have to ask Furukawa," the director finished.

Takigawa slowly rose to his feet, bowed and made his way to the other Fuji actor, who simply jerked a finger towards Daisuke.

Takigawa narrowed his eyes. "DAISUKE!" he called, walking up to him.

Furukawa watched Takigawa and shrugged. "Looks like old rivalries never die…" he muttered.

Daisuke jumped when he heard Takigawa call his name. "What?" he said in irritation as he watched the Tezuka actor make his way towards him.

Takigawa reached the man and took him by the collar, slamming him back onto the wall. "You have 10 seconds to tell me if you know anything about what's going on with Kimeru," he growled.

Daisuke frowned and looked at Takigawa, "Kimeru kept it from you for a reason you know," he started. "His parents are taken hostage by some unknown people and he's meeting them today to negotiate," he said.

-break-

Shirota moved back. "Come in, then..."

Tachibana stepped in and looked around, quickly spotting the picture of the two that was hanging on the wall. "My apologies for not being able to be there," he said with a nod.

Shirota closed the door as best as he could before moving into the living room, shaking his head. "It's alright. Would you like to have a seat?"

Tachibana sat down and grinned. "So…How are you and Hiroki doing?" he asked.

Shirota moved to sit himself down as well, heaving a sigh of relief. "We're doing alright..." he replied.

-break-

"Warehouse three at Ichihama," Daisuke finished.

Takigawa quickly released his hold on Daisuke and ran off to head to the place he had mentioned. _'I am not going to recess back to going through what I did when you left me before…'_ he thought to himself as he got into the car, started it up and drove off.

-break-

Aiba blinked as he watched Takigawa leave, "Looks like I'm walking home…" he said as he broke the silence of the theater since everyone stopped what they were doing to watch the scene.

Furukawa took this time to approach Aiba. "We can drop you off later, Aiba," he offered, turning to Daisuke. "Ne?"

Daisuke looked at Aiba and Furukawa for a while before nodding.

Aiba smiled. "That's a great help, thanks," he said.

-break-

"That should leave a message quite nicely…" a man said before smirking. Kimeru coughed violently before falling to his knees. There was blood running down from a wound on his forehead and his right hand was clutching his left arm which also had blood running down from a wound slightly obscuring his vision.

"You bas-" he was cut off as he was kicked violently on the side, he yelled in pain which caused the man in front of him to smirk. "This should teach him not to mess with me," the man said. "Let's go."

Kimeru heard them leave him, closing the warehouse door and locking it with a faint but audible clicking sound. The singer collapsed on the ground after hearing some cars speed off, panting harshly trying to get an adequate amount of air in his lungs. He shifted to lie on his back, wincing in pain as he did so.

A small squeak was heard before he felt something nuzzling his cheek. "Momo…stop that…you're going to get dirty…" he muttered as recognized the familiar action of the guinea pig that somehow managed to avoid detection and injury. "You have to get out of here or else you'll be all alone in a few minutes…" he said.

Momo squeaked again before moving up his chest and laid there. Kimeru chuckled but was cut off by another round of violent coughing. He tasted the blood in his mouth and groaned inwardly. "Don't have…much time…left…" Kimeru said as he closed his eyes. "Get out of here…" he told Momo again and this time he felt the guinea pig leave. _'I'm sorry…Eiji…'_ he thought sadly.

-break-

Momo, who managed to get out of the warehouse, made his way to the car that Kimeru brought along, his fur had Kimeru's blood on it but he didn't seem to care as he stopped by the tire of the car. He looked around and heard a faint sound of something approaching. He paused for a bit before starting to squeak madly in hopes to catch the attention of whoever was coming and hopefully this person can help.

Takigawa sped off as fast as he could manage - paying heed to the speed limit still - before he finally arrived at the warehouse. He spotted Shirota and Aiba's car parked outside a particular warehouse, pulling his own car to a stop just behind it.

_'Why do I have a bad feeling about this…'_ he thought to himself as he got out of the car and stopped in his tracks when he took a moment to lower his gaze to spot a familiar creature by the back tire of the other car. "Momo?" Takigawa stated, furrowing his brows and knelt down to collect the squeaking guinea pig in his hand. "What are you-"

The actor was cut off when he saw some blood on Momo's fur before he got to his feet and rushed to the door. Takigawa took a moment to set Momo down and spotted the lock on the door, causing him to groan. "Dammit…" Takigawa quickly took a look around the area in search for something to break the lock.

After a while, Takigawa spotted a glass window into the warehouse. Not wanting to take too much time trying to force the door open, the actor, upon impulse, jumped head-on to the window, crashing into the warehouse and rolled onto the floor, bearing a few cuts from the glass as he got to his feet unsteadily.

Momo, who had squeezed back into the warehouse the same way he got out, moved to Kimeru and squeaked loudly for Takigawa to navigate his way over.

Takigawa, upon hearing the guinea pig's squeak, turned to the direction before his eyes fell upon the singer's body sprawled out on the floor, covered in blood. "KIMERU!" he shouted, running towards him as best as he could manage. Takigawa stumbled - due to a new wound on his knee caused by the glass - and dragged himself over to Kimeru's side. "Whoever did this will pay…" he muttered as he examined the damage before scooping Kimeru up into his arms and brought himself to get to his feet, stumbling for a moment to catch his balance. "But right now… I need to get you to the hospital…" The actor turned to the guinea pig that went up to Kimeru to settle on the singer's chest.

Takigawa moved back to the window where he entered and slowly managed to get himself, Kimeru and Momo out through it without any scratches. Takigawa found himself out of breath as he winced at the wound on his knee, but ignored it as he moved to his car and gently deposited Kimeru in the backseat and secured him before he got into the driver's seat and drove off to the nearest hospital.

After Takigawa brought Kimeru to the emergency room it took about two hours before he was cleared and transfered to a more private room. A nurse had also taken care of the few injuries that the Tezuka actor had acquired and cleaned up Momo, who was now on Takigawa's shoulder, as well.

Once in the privacy of the room, the doctor explained the injuries that Kimeru had acquired, which the most serious case was two broken ribs. After explaining and answering further queries that the other might had the doctor left the room.

Takigawa sighed a deep sigh as he sat beside Kimeru's bedside, taking the singer's hand with both of his own. _'I just wish you could have told me what was going on so you didn't have to go through this… alone…'_ Takigawa thought with a frown, kissing the back of Kimeru's hand. _'Now look where it's gotten us…'_

-break-

Thankfully, the myu practices were cut shot due to reasons that only Ueshima knew of. Aiba for one was glad of this early dismissal and was given a ride home by Daisuke and Furukawa. He thanked them as they dropped him off in front of his house and drove away before going in the house.

"Ueshima-sensei decided to give us a break so I- a-re?" Aiba was cut off when he saw an unfamiliar face in the living room.

Shirota and Tachibana were chatting about a few things before they heard the door open. Shirota turned to see Hiroki and blinked, gesturing to the older Aiba. "You don't remember your older brother, Hiroki?" he inquired.

"I have a brother…?" Aiba asked as he closed the door behind him and stared at Tachibana.

"Why yes you do, but you haven't seen me since you were three," the older one answered with a bright smile.

Aiba blinked again before realization struck him as he pointed at Tachibana. "Tachibana!" he exclaimed.

"Nii-san," Tachibana corrected.

-break-

Kimeru shifted a bit before slowly opening his eyes. He surveyed his surroundings before realizing that he was in a hospital. "Wh…Eiji?" he called out weakly.

Takigawa squeezed Kimeru's hand. "Right here, Kime…" he whispered soothingly.

Kimeru closed his eyes. "I hate hospitals...can't I go home?" he asked.

"Not with two broken ribs you are," Takigawa scolded lightly.

Kimeru slowly opened his eyes and raised a trembling hand, "Eiji…they're gone…" he said, voice barely above a whisper as tears started to form on his eyes.

Takigawa's eyes widened, taking hold of the hand with both of his own, inching closer to him. "I'm sorry, Kime..." he whispered, kissing the back of the singer's hand.

-break-

Shirota smiled before scooting on the couch and patted it. "Have a seat, Hiroki," he offered.

Aiba sat on the couch beside Shirota and eyed his brother warily, Tachibana just smiled at him all the while.

"So where did the injuries come from?" he asked casually as he gestured to the two.

"Accidents," Aiba answered quickly.

"Is that right?"

Shirota nodded uneasily. "Aa..."

Tachibana narrowed his eyes at the two. "Getting into accidents… and ending up with injuries like that… doesn't really sound good now, does it?" he asked.

Shirota pursed his lips, looking over to Hiroki.

Aiba frowned, knowing full well where the conversation was heading. "What are you trying to prove, Tachibana?" he asked.

Tachibana looked at his brother sternly. "That you should come back home, Hiroki."

-break-

Kimeru's tears continued to flow from his eyes. "They were killed Eiji…" he choked out, "…killed mercilessly like animals…"

Takigawa slowly rose to his feet and wrapped an arm gingerly around Kimeru as best as he could in an attempt to comfort him. "Just let it all out, Kimeru…I'll find them for you…" he whispered. "I'll make sure they pay for what they did to you and your parents…"

Kimeru cried silently, all the while holding on to Takigawa. After a while, the tears subsided and he loosened his hold on the other.

Momo, who transferred to the pillow when Takigawa came closer, nuzzled Kimeru's cheek affectionately.

Takigawa kissed Kimeru on the forehead. "Sleep," he coaxed silently. "You'll need it."

Kimeru nodded silently before looking up at Takigawa. "You'll stay with me…right?" he asked.

Takigawa smiled softly, kissing Kimeru on the forehead. "Of course I will."

Kimeru looked at him for a while before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.

Momo scuttled up to Takigawa's shoulder and stayed there, staring at Kimeru.

-break-

"And what gives you the right to decide that?" Shirota stated, his anger flaring up slightly.

"I am his brother, so I naturally know what's best for him," Tachibana countered.

"For you information, Tachibana...I'm already married-"

"To someone who should be responsible and keep you out of harm," the older Aiba countered.

"Do you think I _wanted_ this all to happen?" Shirota demanded, narrowing his eyes towards the older Aiba.

"Regardless of that fact, it still happened," Tachibana stated as he looked at Shirota. "And what if something happens when the two of you are like this? How then would you be able to do anything?"

"Tachiba-"

"Stay out of it, Hiroki!"

"Nothing WILL happen because we have two very capable guardians looking after us!" Shirota retorted.

"Guardians?" Tachibana repeated. "I don't see anyone other than you."

"They're just out attending to something…" Shirota muttered. "That's all…"

Tachibana glared. "And they left you all alone. That isn't very responsible now, is it?" he challenged.

"WE'RE NOT LITTLE KIDS THAT NEED TO BE LOOKED AFTER 24/7!" Shirota shouted, his temper flaring.

"And you dare raise your voice at me?" Tachibana exclaimed in outrage as he stood up in anger. "Hiroki! Get your things! You're coming with me!" he demanded.

Aiba glared. "No!" he answered. "Who the hell do you think you are, barging into my life and suddenly demanding these things? I didn't even remember that I have an older brother before ten minutes ago!" Tachibana stood there, surprised. "You have no right to tell me what to do or how I should live my life especially when you never were a part of it," the younger continued.

Fisting his hands, Tachibana glared at his brother. "If that is how you want want it…" he said coldly before walking to the door. "This isn't the last time that you'll hear from me…" he added before walking out the door, slamming it behind him.

Shirota's glare was at the door for a long time before sighing. "This is getting out of hand…" he muttered, calming down a little bit.

Aiba scooted closer to Shirota and laid his head on his shoulder. "I think it's about time to call my family again, don't you think?"

"Your brother takes after your father, it seems," Shirota pointed out in slight annoyance.

"For some reason, I am not surprised…" Aiba muttered.

"Seems that he's been abroad this whole time…" Shirota continued, recalling the conversation he had earlier with the older Aiba.

"Doing what? Neglecting his family?" Aiba muttered darkly.

"That's what he didn't get around to telling me," Shirota admitted.

"Regardless of that fact, he can't just come barging in our life…" Aiba said as he straightened up. "I'm going to get some ice cream that Kime-nii and I bought before. Want me to get you some, too?"

"Will you manage it with one hand?" Shirota asked in concern.

Aiba grinned. "We don't have that cone holder for nothing, you know," he reminded the other before heading to the kitchen.

Shirota was about to suggest helping before he settled back onto the couch, sighing in defeat.

Aiba came back a few moments later with two ice cream cones, conveniently placed in an ice cream holder. "Here you go~" he said.

"Arigatou~" Shirota said, reaching out for a cone.

"I wonder what happened to Eiji-nii and Kime-nii…" Aiba wondered as he sat down and started on his ice cream.

Shirota shrugged, starting to devour his ice cream. "Let's just hope things are alright…"

"Eiji-nii just ran off earlier after confronting Daisuke," Aiba said.

Shirota lowered his ice cream. "Daisuke?" he repeated, frowning.

Aiba nodded. "You don't remember him? He was friends with Kime-nii back in Mitsukaru," he explained.

"It's hard to forget him," Shirota admitted. "Takigawa and Daisuke had a few run-ins with one another in the past, after all."

"I still don't understand where that certain streak of rivalry came from…" Aiba said as he finished his ice cream.

"It had something to do with Kimeru…" Shirota stated, returning his attention to his ice cream.

Aiba blinked. "What's with the sudden formality?" he asked.

Shirota turned to Aiba before shaking his head. "Gomen…" he quickly apologized. "I just remember Eiji-nii sporting a bruise on his face… He had told me it was Daisuke who had caused it. It seems the reason Daisuke was so mad was because Eiji-nii was getting close with Kime-nii…" he explained.

Aiba thought for a minute. "I think…that was during the same week that Kime-nii punched Daisuke as well because of a certain picture I took…" he mused.

Shirota nodded. "It was," he agreed.

Aiba sighed. "Rivals…" he muttered before grabbing the remote. "Would you mind if I turned on the TV?" he asked.

Shirota smiled. "Not at all," he stated, gesturing to the TV before finishing his ice cream.

Aiba switched on the TV and flipped to a random station. "Oh look…Tenipuri," he said.

Shirota finished his ice cream and turned to the TV, chuckling. "We tuned in just in time, it seems."

-break-

Takigawa leaned back on his chair when Kimeru had fallen back asleep. He pulled out his cellphone and decided to begin making preparations for the J-Pop singer's birthday in June. _'You can never be too early to prepare,'_ Takigawa told himself as he typed up a message that he sent to Okiayu-san and Yuki-san.

Kimeru frowned in his sleep and turned and tried to lie on his side and failed; he winced as he unconsciously brought up a hand to his bruised side.

Takigawa was about to make a call to Nagayan before he lowered the device when he saw Kimeru moving around on the bed. He leaned close to the singer's sleeping form and whispered, "Don't try to move around too much, Kime…"

Kimeru whimpered and weakly muttered something before staying still and continued sleeping.

Takigawa smiled fondly, kissing him on the forehead before moving to another side of the room to place a call to Nagayan to relay his ideas.

-break-

Nagayan, who was talking to Tuti about something, cut his sentence short when he felt his phone vibrate, "Excuse me for a sec…" he said before pulling it out. "Nagayama~" he answered.

"It's Takigawa," he replied quietly. "Listen, I'm starting plans for Kime's birthday and I'm thinking of having your old band make a performance."

"The old band?" Nagayan repeated in confusion. "With Daisuke and all?" he asked hesitantly.

Takigawa pursed his lips for a moment before confirming. "Yes, with Daisuke and all."

"You're asking for another headache, Takigawa…but since it sounds like fun we'll do it~" Nagayan said happily. "Just tell us when and where. Kime would be so excited~"

Takigawa hummed in slight annoyance. "I'll keep you informed," he stated before ending the call, looking at his phone for a few moments.

Nagayan smiled as he ended the call and moved to call the others.

-break-

"Kaa-san…tou-san…" Kimeru called out, dreaming of his parents' death.

Takigawa turned to Kimeru, frowning. _'I'll make sure to find the people who killed them for you, Kimeru…'_ he vowed, approaching the bed and placing a kiss on the singer's forehead.

Kimeru frowned at the feeling and slowly opened his eyes. He raised a hand to wipe away the tears that had threatened to fall once more. "Damn it…" he muttered.

Takigawa brought a hand up, caressing Kimeru's cheek. "Shhhh…" he coaxed quietly. "Can't sleep?" he inquired softly.

Kimeru shook his head. "Every time I close my eyes…I just keep seeing the scene over and over again…I keep hearing my mother pleading as my father struggled to breathe…and I couldn't even do anything…" he struggled to say.

Takigawa sat himself down on the bed despite the limit space and took Kimeru into a gentle embrace. "I'm sorry, Kime… But… there's nothing we can do about that anymore…" he whispered, stroking the singer's back. "But know that from now on, I will make sure that no more harm will come to you…"

Kimeru nodded weakly as he moved closer to Takigawa.

"If I lie down beside you, will you be able to sleep, love?" Takigawa whispered.

"I might…" Kimeru responded quietly as he moved back a bit to give Takigawa some space.

Takigawa smiled softly before moving onto the bed with Kimeru.

Kimeru closed his eyes and moved closer to Takigawa, hoping that this time around he could rest.

Takigawa pulled Kimeru closer while minding the singer's ribs. _'I'll help you through this, Kime... I promise.'_

Soon Kimeru drifted off to a more peaceful sleep.

Takigawa looked at Kimeru before smiling softly, snuggling up to him before falling asleep alongside him.

-break-

"That's strange…still no word from either Kime-nii or Eiji-nii…" Aiba said as he looked at the clock.

Then suddenly they heard a knock from the door. Aiba stood up and went to see who it was. "Eh? Furukawa and Daisuke?"

Shirota turned to the door and moved to grab his crutches.

"You don't have to stand, Shirota-kun," Furukawa called with a pleasant tone, noticing the Tezuka actor as he turned to Aiba. "May we come in for a while?"

Daisuke closed the door behind him as Aiba ushered them inside. "We'll be staying with you for the rest of the day…" he muttered reluctantly.

"Eh? Why's that?" Shirota said with a frown.

Aiba blinked as he looked at the two.

"Kimeru's in the hospital…" Daisuke muttered, crossing his arms.

Shirota's eyes widened in alarm. "What happened to him? Why didn't they tell us about it?" he stated, starting to panic.

Daisuke looked at Furukawa, silently asking him to explain the situation.

Furukawa brought a hand up. "Relax, Shirotan," the third Fuji actor stated calmly. "We were shocked ourselves. Ueshima-sensei told us about it because we were still in the vicinity," he began. "We don't know the exact details ourselves, but all we were told was that something happened to Kimeru in a warehouse and Takigawa rushed him to the hospital as soon as he found him."

Aiba's mind was racing as he looked around the living room in contemplation. "Yuu…" he started as his eyes fell on the guinea pig cage. "Where's Momo?"

"He was with Kime-nii when he was here…" Shirota started, trailing off slowly when he realized where the guinea pig was.

-break-

"Takigawa-san…some members of the press are asking for an interview…" A nurse said as she looked inside the J-pop artist's room.

Takigawa roused from his nap to the door, propping himself up on one elbow. He took a moment to look over to Kimeru's sleeping form, moving away a strand of hair. "Give me a few minutes…"

"Hai," The nurse said before nodding politely and leaving the room.

Takigawa leaned over and gave Kimeru a kiss on the forehead. "I'll be right back, love," he whispered before slipping out from the bed, minding his knees before moving slowly to the door to attend to the press.

-break-

Aiba slowly looked at Shirota. "Yuu…turn the channel to the news."

Shirota furrowed his brows. "What for…?

"I have a gut feel…that we'll find out something from a flash report," Aiba answered.

Shirota nodded before reaching for the remote and turning the TV on.

-break-

At the waiting area the press immediately stood up when they spotted Takigawa.

"Takigawa-san! What happened to Kimeru that caused the severe injuries?"

"Is it true that his parents were involved?"

"How is he now, Takigawa-san?"

Takigawa brought both hands up to silence them and answer their questions as briefly as possible. "To put it bluntly, Kimeru got involved with a group of people who had kidnapped his parents. From what I've gathered, he was beaten up rather harshly." Takigawa paused for a moment before he continued. "His parents were killed in the process in front of him, so I will be under the assumption that you all understand how he is."

Takigawa brought a hand up. "No further questions," he announced, bowing to the press before he returned to the room.

-break-

Aiba stared at the TV, stunned from what he heard. "What the…" he managed to say.

Daisuke glared at the screen and fisted his palms, "Kime..."

Shirota frowned, assessing Takigawa's features on the screen before groaning. _'Eiji-nii must be feeling upset about this… It's fueled his fire for revenge, I'm sure…'_

Daisuke moved to shut the TV. Aiba slumped on the couch beside Shirota. "Who would do this to Kime-nii?" he wondered.

"Whoever's bold enough to face Eiji-nii's wrath," Shirota chimed in to try and lighten the mood.

Aiba nodded. "Must be some brave bastard to do this…" he said.

Daisuke sighed. "Have you two eaten already?" he asked.

"Not really…" Shirota admitted. "Just a cone of ice cream," he added.

Daisuke looked at Furukawa. "Will you or will I?" he asked.

Furukawa smiled and gestured to the kitchen. "You should do the honors."

Daisuke grunted a reply before moving towards the Kitchen.

Aiba looked at the man as he went to the kitchen. "Is it alright to leave him there?" he asked.

Furukawa chuckled. "Yes, it is. Believe it or not, Daisuke is quite talented with cooking."

Aiba blinked. "Kinda hard to see…" he explained.

Daisuke moved around the kitchen, checking the items to figure out what to make.

Shirota's gaze moved to the kitchen. "Did you expect _me_ to know how to cook at first glance?" he inquired.

Aiba grinned at him. "Sort of?" he said innocently.

"Anything you two are allergic to?" Daisuke called out from the kitchen.

Shirota rolled his eyes, deciding not to say anything further. He turned to the kitchen and called out, "Not particularly. Make what you like."

Daisuke shrugged before getting started with the food.

"Can we go visit Kime-nii?" Aiba asked Furukawa.

Furukawa turned to Aiba. "You'll have to ask Takigawa-kun for that," he replied.

Aiba blinked as he looked at the closed TV. "I'll text him..." he said before pulling out his phone. _'Eiji-nii, would you want some company there?'_ he typed before sending the message to Takigawa.

-break-

As soon as Takigawa settled back into Kimeru's room, he felt his phone vibrate from his pocket as he pulled it out, flipping it open. It was a text message from Aiba. He turned to Kimeru for a moment, considering the offer before he began typing up a reply: _'Perhaps tomorrow. For now stay in the house with Shirotan. Whoever Ueshima-sensei sent to look after you two, thank them for me and ask them to take you both here tomorrow morning to visit Kimeru.'_

-break-

Aiba read the reply out loud to the rest of the people in the room. "So we're going to visit them tomorrow~" he said with a smile.

Daisuke, who was done with part one of the dinner merely grunted in reply before going back to the kitchen.

Shirota smiled. "I guess Eiji-nii wants to spend some alone time with Kimeru," he teased.

Aiba nodded before realizing something. "I forgot to ask hims something important!" he said before typing up a message again. _'Is Momo with you?'_

-break-

Momo squeaked before getting off the pillow and scuttling over to the table beside it. He looked at Takigawa.

Takigawa moved to sit himself back down before making eye contact with the guinea pig before his phone vibrated once more. He smirked. "They know you're missing," he stated quietly before typing up a reply: _'Yes, he is.'_

Momo squeaked one more time before jumping on Takigawa's shoulder and nuzzling him.

-break-

"Aha, they have Momo!" Aiba exclaimed in relief.

"Momo enjoys staying with Kimeru," Shirota explained.

Takigawa looked over to Momo and managed a small smile. "I have much to thank you for, Momo…for being with Kimeru."

Momo made a small squeaking sound before nuzzling Takigawa again.

Takigawa watched the guinea pig before chuckling. "I have a very strange feeling we'll be bringing you home with us once Shirota and Aiba recover from their injuries…" he muttered to the pet.

Momo squeaked and hopped onto Takigawa's lap and scuttled around, showing his approval.

"I hope you're fine with Echizen getting all the attention from his parents, though…" Takigawa stated with a slight frown.

Momo paused when he heard this and looked up at Takigawa and appeared as if he was thinking of something. Then he just squeaked and slipped under Takigawa's shirt and nuzzled him.

Takigawa cringed, holding back his laughter as his moved around to try and catch the guinea pig.

"Looks like he found a weakspot…" Kimeru muttered as he sleepily looked over to Takigawa who was still being tickled by Momo.

Takigawa turned to Kimeru just as he managed to grab Momo from underneath his shirt, a chuckle escaping him. "Did we wake you?"

Kimeru shook his head and moved his arm before glaring at the IV drip that was connected to it. "No…I just couldn't sleep straight…that's all," he mumbled before trying to sit up. "Still no clue when I can go home?" he asked.

Takigawa retook his seat before shaking his head. "I'm afraid not…" he muttered in reply. "I've asked Aiba and Shirota to come visit tomorrow morning… If that's alright with you, of course…"

Kimeru nodded. "Anything but these white walls would be a comfort to see," he answered. "Can I have Momo for a moment? I never got to thank him," he asked as he reached out a hand.

Takigawa smiled before placing Momo on the J-Pop singer's outstretched hand.

Kimeru smiled as he brought Momo to him and patted him. "Silly little Momo…you never left me alone from the start of it all, didn't you?" he said. Momo squeaked and ran up to his neck to nuzzle him causing Kimeru to chuckle. "I wonder if Aiba and Shirota would let me have you…"

"Personally, I don't think they'd mind…" Takigawa admitted.

Kimeru smiled. "How about you, Eiji? Would you mind?" he asked as he looked at Takigawa.

"The whole reason why Momo began tickling me was because I told him I had a strange feeling he'd be coming home with us," Takigawa explained, averting his gaze.

Kimeru chuckled. "Maybe that was his way of saying: 'Yesss! Take me home with you!'" he suggested.

Takigawa looked over to the guinea pig and couldn't help but agree. "Maybe it is…"

Momo looked up at both of them before squeaking.

"Which makes me wonder…Do you think this place has anything that this little guy can eat?" Kimeru asked.

Takigawa rose to his feet. "I'll go and see if they do…" he announced, leaning over to kiss the singer on the forehead before straightening up and leaving the room.

Kimeru smiled as before nodding at Takigawa.

As soon as he and Momo were alone in the room, the singer let out a sigh.

Momo squeaked once before scuttling up to his chest, Kimeru petted him. "Yes, I'm fine…" he said.

After a few minutes, Takigawa re-entered the room and retook his seat by Kimeru's bed. "I've asked one of the nurses on break to go out and get some food for Momo," he explained. "She seemed quite pleased with the errand…"

"Of course she is, it's Takigawa Eiji who asked her to go, after all," he teased.

Takigawa shook his head. "I'm not surprised…" he muttered before leaning forward, bringing a hand and stroked it through Kimeru's hair. "What do you think we should do while we wait?"

"I can think of a million things…that can be done if I don't have a needle in the back of my hand…" Kimeru answered.

Takigawa frowned. "Let's just find a way to endure it for now, Kime…" he said quietly into the singer's ear. "You've gone through a lot, after all…"

Kimeru sighed. "Yeah…" he said. "Eiji…have they found my parents' bodies?" he asked quietly. "They were thrown somewhere…"

Takigawa frowned. "No one's told me anything so far… But I've asked them to keep me informed," he replied quietly.

Kimeru sighed before nodding. "That's reassuring to hear… " he said as he looked out the window.

Takigawa smiled faintly before his phone vibrated. He pulled his phone out and flipped it open. He read the message before his eyes widened, causing him to abruptly get up from the bed.

Kimery looked at Takigawa in surprise. "Is there something wrong, Eiji?" he asked.

"News of your parents… They found their bodies…" Takigawa muttered, quickly typing up a reply.

Kimeru abruptly stood up, wincing as he felt a flash of pain come from his broken ribs. "Where…did they…find them?" he asked.

Takigawa turned to Kimeru and slowly eased him to lie back down. "Their bodies were found by the riverbed a few miles from the warehouse…" he explained softly.

Kimeru frowned. "That's far…" he said as he settled back in the bed. "At least now… I can give them a proper funeral…" he said sadly.

Takigawa tucked some hair behind the J-Pop singer's ear, smiling softly. "Aa, I've asked them to collect the bodies and wait for your word with what to do with them," he said.

Kimeru nodded as thanks and moved to pat Momo as a distraction.

-break-

"Now that we've established that Momo is with them…" Shirota said, looking over to Aiba, grinning. "I have a feeling we'll be left with Echizen at this rate."

Aiba nodded. "Momo has become very attached to Kime-nii, we might as well let them have him."

"Food's ready…" Daisuke announced as he came out of the kitchen.

Shirota nodded in agreement. "It's for the best," he said before turning to Daisuke, grinning. "What are we having?" he asked eagerly.

"Curry," Daisuke said flatly as he placed the food on the table before going back in the kitchen.

Furukawa chuckled. "Daisuke's special curry," he teased.

"It's not special, Yuuta…" Daisuke muttered as he placed the plates on the table. "Let's eat," he announced.

Aiba chuckled. "Yes Daddy," he muttered.

Shirota snickered before grabbing his crutch and getting to his feet. "Let's head to the table, then~"

Daisuke sat down on a chair before pulling out his phone. "It looks like the media is following every twist and turn of the events regarding Kimeru's case."

Furukawa settled in the chair beside Daisuke as Shirota moved across the room to the dining table. "Why, what's happened?" Furukawa inquired.

"They found the bodies…and it isn't a pretty sight…" Daisuke answered as he showed Furukawa the forwarded image in his phone.

Aiba looked at the two. "I think…I'd rather eat first before seeing that," he said.

"Don't worry, it's been blurred out."

Furukawa looked at the image before sighing. "I hope Kimeru's getting through this somehow…"

Shirota sat himself down on a chair. "Don't worry. He's got Eiji-nii looking after him. He'll be fine."

Daisuke shrugged. "That j-" he stopped when he saw Furukawa give him a look. "…person…had been able to help him get through a lot since Mitsukaru…so…"

Furukawa smiled in triumph. "So it's best we leave Kimeru in Takigawa-kun's capable hands," he finished before gesturing to the food. "Now, let's not just sit here talking about this. Let's eat."

"Hai. Itadakimasu~" Aiba said before starting to eat.

"Itadakimasu~" Shirota chimed before digging in to eat as well.

-break-

Meanwhile, Momo found a way to get out of the hospital room and was now scurrying down the hallway of the hospital.

-break-

Takigawa, having fallen asleep with Kimeru, stirred slightly and rubbed his eyes before looking around. "Momo?" he called out quietly for the guinea pig.

-break-

Momo entered the open door of a bathroom. He squeaked before heading towards a stall.

"What's a guinea pig like you doing in a place like this?" a person said before picking him up. Momo looked up and found himself staring at the face of a former Echizen actor.

-break-

Takigawa frowned. _'Where in the world did he go off to?'_ he thought, starting to look around the room for the guinea pig.

Yanagi blinked at him and Momo stared back. "Doesn't he look familiar to you?" he asked his companion.

Moriyama switched off the faucet as he tore off a paper towel to dry his hands as he went beside Yanagi and examined the guinea pig. "Now that you mention it, he does…" he said slowly, furrowing his brows in brief contemplation. A moment later, he crumpled the paper towel. "Ah! Shirota and Aiba," he announced.

"That's interesting," Yanagi said as he patted the little furry creature. "Shall we look for them and return this little guy?" he asked.

Momo looked at the two of them before nuzzling Yanagi's hand. The Echizen actor grinned. "I think he likes the idea too."

Moriyama frowned. "I don't recall Shirota or Aiba being hospitalized, though…" he admitted as the pair and the guinea pig left the bathroom.

"Then maybe someone else is…" Yanagi said as Momo started squeaking when they reached a particular door a bit down the hall.

"Here?"

Momo squeaked as an answer.

The Echizen actor looked at Moriyama for a while before knocking on the door and slowly opening it.

"Excuse us…" Moriyama chimed as he poked his head through the crack and spotted two familiar people. "Takigawa? Kimeru?" he asked in slight surprise as he pushed the door open a little more, pushing Yanagi into the room and followed before closing the door behind him. "What happened?"

Takigawa turned to the door upon recognizing the voice and lowered his gaze as he saw Momo in Yanagi's hands. "I see Momo went exploring while we were asleep…" he said quietly.

"Momo…" Yanagi repeated before looking at the guinea pig, then at Moriyama before grinning. "Yeah…we found him in the bathroom, Takigawa-san," he answered as he handed Momo to Takigawa.

The guinea pig squeaked as he scuttled over to Takgiawa's shoulder and nuzzled him.

Kimeru looked at the two. "What brings you two to a place like this?"

"Check up, that's all. You?" Yanagi said.

"I'm surprised you haven't heard it yet…" Kimeru muttered. The Echizen actor blinked in confusion as a response.

Takigawa nodded, returning to Kimeru's side and turned back to the two before gesturing to the extra seats. "You two might want to take a seat. This might take a while to explain fully," he stated.

Moriyama frowned before gently pushing Yanagi towards the chairs and lowered himself onto one of them, fixing his gaze on both Kimeru and Takigawa. "Alright, we're listening."

Momo squeaked as he sat still on Takigawa's shoulder, looking at the other two.

Yanagi chuckled at the guinea pig before sitting down on the chair beside Moriyama.

"Well you see…a few days ago my parents were abducted…and I was told that they would be killed if I told anybody but…" Kimeru trailed off as he closed his eyes and bit his lip in an attempt to prevent his tears from falling.

Takigawa frowned and placed a comforting hand on Kimeru's shoulder as Momo used it as a bridge to head down to Kimeru, assuring him that he was there to offer any support. "Just tell me if it gets too difficult for you to tell, Kime…"

Kimeru sniffed and patted Momo. "I can do it…" he said as closed his eyes, letting a few tears slide down. "I did what they wanted me to do…but they still killed my parents…" His lip trembled as more tears broke from his barriers. "and they did that right in front of me…"

Moriyama frowned. "I'm…so sorry to hear that, Kime…" the first generation Momoshiro actor consoled, looking over to the J-Pop singer with a wave of sadness.

Takigawa slowly sat down on the chair beside Kimeru's bed and wrapped his arms protectively and gingerly around him. "I'm here…" he muttered quietly to the singer.

Yanagi nodded. "Have they caught the ones who did it?" he asked.

Kimeru shook his head. "I doubt that they have…"

Moriyama looked over to Takigawa. "I'm sure you're not going to allow things to end like this, right?"

Takigawa nodded. "Of course I can't; especially not after what they did… They can't be forgiven."

Kimeru placed a hand over Takigawa's. "No…they can't…" he said. "I want justice…"

Takigawa looked over to Kimeru. "Then I will personally make sure we find them for what they've done, Kime…" the first generation Tezuka actor stated. _'Before they cause any more harm to anybody else, I hope…'_ he added in his mind.

Yanagi looked at Moriyama before looking at Takigawa. "Why don't you ask Minami Keisuke for assistance?" he suggested. "He's with Yakuza isn't he?"

Momo squeaked when he heard the name and jumped on Takigawa's shoulder, sniffing around as if looking for Minami.

Takigawa looked over to the guinea pig for a moment before turning his attention to the Echizen-Momoshiro pair. "Yes, I think it would be wise to inform him of the situation and ask for some help…" Takigawa admitted.

"And why is Momo acting like that?" Moriyama added, pointing to the guinea pig.

Takigawa shrugged. "We left his brother Kunisuke in the care of Minami-kun and Sakurada-kun since he grew attached to Sakurada-kun while we were in Hokkaido."

"He misses his brother," Yanagi said as he went over and patted Momo.

It was then when someone knocked on the door. "Takigawa Eiji-kun?" a nurse said as she stepped inside. "Someone's looking for you; he says that it's urgent."

Takigawa looked over to nurse, blinking for a moment before nodding. "Alright, I'll be right there," he replied, taking Momo from his shoulder and handed the guinea pig to Yanagi. "Hold him for me for a minute, Yanagi-kun." Takigawa turned to Kimeru and bent down to kiss him on the forehead. "I'll be right back, Kime," he whispered before straightening up and nodding to the others before moving to the door and followed the nurse out of the room.

As Takigawa moved down the hallway a man stepped up from behind and pointed a gun to his back. The action was conveniently hidden by the jacket that he wore. "Keep walking, Takigawa and don't make a fuss..." he instructed with a grin. "Get in the car waiting just outside the ER…no funny business…"

Takigawa felt the barrel of a gun propped against his back and heard a voice behind him, instructing him to get in the waiting car outside. _'They didn't waste time, did they?'_ Takigawa thought to himself, opting to do what was asked of him so as not to cause a commotion.

The pair walked down the entire length of the hallway as Takigawa pushed open the double doors to the outside and saw the car and chanced a glance over his shoulder. "I suppose I don't have to ask why you're doing this, do I?" he inquired.

Osagawa Jun smirked. "If you're as smart as they say you'd keep you mouth shut, Takigawa-kun," he said before he shoved the man inside the car where two more men waited.

-break-

Out of the blue, Momo started squeaking madly. "O-Oi Momo, take it easy," Yanagi said as he held down the guinea pig who started struggling.

Kimeru critically looked at the animal, his irises narrowing in alarm. "Eiji…" he said before yanking the needles out of his arm and getting of the bed.

"Kime! What are-OW!" Yanagi exclaimed as Momo bit down on his hand, causing him to let go. "Momo!" he called out. Momo squeaked once before jumping on Moriyama, biting him him hard on the hand. "Eiji!" Yanagi exclaimed.

It was the intervention Kimeru needed as he grabbed his phone and ran out the door.

Finally Momo calmed down and nuzzled Moriyama, as if apologizing. "What was that about…?" Yanagi said as he turned around. "Kime…Kimeru's gone!"

Moriyama gingerly tended to his hand and turned to the guinea pig. "Momo wanted to give Kimeru a chance to leave…" he said quietly. "It's probably Takigawa…" He breathed before turning to Yanagi. "We need to follow Kimeru, Kotaro. Now!" The Momoshiro actor took hold of the guinea pig and bolted out the door giving chase to the runaway J-Pop singer.

Kimeru glanced once behind him and saw Moriyama and Yanagi coming close after him, _'Gomen…I won't let you catch up,'_ he said to himself before pulling out a familiar set of keys from his pocket. "Thank you technology…" he muttered as he went out through the sliding doors, ignoring the sound of surprise from the media as he sprinted towards a familiar car. Quickly jumping in the driver's side, he turned on the ignition before backing out. He immediately hit the brakes when he saw the backdoor open.

"You won't be able to get rid of us that easily," Yanagi said with a smirk as he jumped in, Moriyama in tow.

"You two…" Kimeru said as he shook his head. "Hurry up and close the door!"

-break-

Takudo Akinori glanced at the rear view mirror with a frown. "Are you sure he's Takigawa?" he asked.

Jun nodded. "I'm sure…" he said. "I've seen him enough times in those musicals."

-break-

Momo started squeaking again, hopping onto Kimeru's shoulder and onto the dashboard, pawing at the general direction of a black car that was driving away.

Moriyama edged forward, noticing the guinea pig's actions. "Looks like he thinks Takigawa's in that car," he pointed out.

Kimeru frowned and completely backed the car out before flooring the gas in pursuit of the car.

-break-

Hiraoka Ryutaro looked over his shoulder behind him. "A car's following us, Takudo," he announced.

Takigawa followed the man's gaze and examined the car and did his best not to show recognition of the familiar car in his features. _'He's really stubborn when he needs to be…'_

Takudo grinned. "As expected from a former drag racer…" he said as he sped up as well, resulting in a car chase.

-break-

"K-Kimeru…" Yanagi said as he was pushed to the back of the seat. Momo was keeping his eyes on the car as he clung onto a wooden ornament in the middle of the dashboard.

-break-

The chase continued until they reached a mountainous side of the city. Takudo made a quick U-Turn to throw the J-pop singer off. "Let's see you-" His eyes went wide as he saw the car chasing them make a sharp turn. "Dammit…when did he learn to drift?" he said as he stepped on the gas again.

"There's a lot about Kimeru you don't seem to acknowledge," Takigawa said smugly.

"Shut up, Takigawa," Takudo said as he spotted their destination. "This race won't last for long."

-break-

Inside the car, Yanagi had his eyes shut muttering a mantra under his breath.

Moriyama clung onto the headrest of the front passenger seat as the car chase began. "How long were you racing again?" he demanded.

"4 years," Kimeru answered flatly as he glared at the car in front of them.

Soon the two pulled over at a shrine that overlooked the sea. "Moriyama, there's a small storage space under the seat. Get the gun under there and stay in the car…" Kimeru said as he pulled open the glove compartment and took out a gun and hid it in his jeans. He went out of the car and slammed the door shut.

Moriyama nodded and moved to locate the storage and took the gun in hand and moved to calm Yanagi down.

-break-

"Welcome to Kazeryo shrine, Kimeru…" Takudo said as he stepped down from the car, followed by Osagawa and Tsukade Hisayuki, the latter pointing a gun at Takigawa's head as he was pulled out of the vehicle.

"Don't tell me you lot knew that Kimeru would follow you here?" Takigawa asked as soon as he was out of the car.

"We would have preferred that we take you hostage for the next few days, but this works too," Osagawa said slyly. "The quicker the better."

Kimeru growled. "Why did you take Eiji? If you wanted to kill me you had that chance at the warehouse!"

"What fun is there in killing you immediately?" Takudo said nonchalantly. "Seeing you suffer would have been a better choice."

"What the hell did I ever do to you?" Kimeru demanded.

"A lot of things Kimeru…a lot of things," Takudo answered as he pulled out his gun and pointed it at Kimeru.

A tense silence filled the air around them.

"Let. Eiji. Go," Kimeru said dangerously.

"Make me," Takudo answered as he pointed the gun at Takigawa instead. Kimeru immediately pulled out the gun he hid and pointed it at Takudo. "Do you even know how to use that, Kimeru?" Takudo scoffed.

"Would you like to find out, Takudo?"

-break-

Yanagi watched from the car with Moriyama, unable to pry his gaze away from the scene. "Shouldn't we call the authorities?" he asked.

"Knowing Kimeru, he'd wanted to settle this without the help of the police…" Moriyama admitted, but pulled out his phone and handed it to Yanagi. "But for safety reasons, go ahead and do so. Discreetly."

Yanagi nodded and slipped down behind the driver's side and dialed a number. He was about to press the call button when he heard a gunshot. "What happened?" he asked.

-break-

Kimeru panted heavily as he poised his gun back at Takudo. Osagawa was on the ground, clutching his leg as blood flowed down from it. "Don't make kill any of you…" the J-pop artist said in warning as he stepped forward.

"Jun!" Takudo exclaimed as he glared at Kimeru. "You'll pay for-ARGH!" he was cut off when Kimeru took another shot, aimed at the man's wrist. Takudo dropped the gun and winced.

"Eiji! Run for it!" Kimeru shouted as he took an aim towards Tsukade. "Trust me and just Run!"

"No! Don't let him go!" Takudo ordered as he reached for his weapon.

Kimeru took the chance and dashed forward, managing to grab the gun before Takudo could and pointed both at Tsukade before firing a clear shot to the man's leg.

"I'd stop if I were you…" a voice suddenly said, making Kimeru look behind him where Hatakeyama Sosa stood with Yanagi in hand, a knife poised near his neck.

Moriyama had gotten out of the car and pulled the gun out and secretly hid himself behind a nearby tree before taking careful aim at the knife. _'You're not going to shed a single drop of Kotaro's blood…'_ he thought and pulled the trigger, knocking the knife away from Hatakeyama's grip, Yanagi escaping his grasp.

_'Good one, Moriyama!'_ Kimeru cheered in his mind as he watched Hatakeyama fall before he heard a loud bang and felt searing pain on his side.

"Kimeru!" Yanagi yelled in warning and Kimeru immediately spun around and shot Takudo four times before falling to his knees.

The five abductors were finally either dead or unconscious. "Eiji…" Kimeru managed to rasp out as he stood up again, panting, and made his way towards Takigawa. He looked at his face for a while. "You're alright… Thank goodness…" he muttered before hugging him, ignoring the pain.

Takigawa blinked with his body unable to move when he ordered it to and only managed to seize control when Kimeru was already in front of him. The man wrapped his arms around the singer. "You idiot…" he muttered. "You didn't have to be this reckless…"

Hiraoka, who managed to escape Kimeru's firing frenzy, had pushed himself off the ground unscathed and aimed at the J-Pop singer's unguarded back.

Takigawa opened his eyes and saw the gun and quickly pulled Kimeru behind him as Hiraoka had pulled the trigger, the bullet entering Takigawa's left shoulder as he let out a loud wince and fell to his knees.

Kimeru, bleeding profusely and slowly losing consciousness, glared at Takudo who handed the gun to Hatakeyama who staggered to his feet.

"Your hero scene is over Kimeru…" Takudo said as he walked over to the J-pop singer and lifted him by the collar of his shirt. "Did you think you could actually get away with this?"

"Speak for yourself…" Kimeru said angrily.

Takudo smirked. "Well…too bad for you that you left three of us alive didn't you?"

Kimeru smirked as a thud was heard. "Two but who's counting?" he said as he glanced at Hatakeyama who now lay on the ground. Yanagi holding the gun this time, Momo perched on his shoulder.

Takudo growled. "You smug little sonova…" he muttered.

"Takudo…don't push yourself…we already have the stage set." Hiraoka reminded him, causing the other to smirk.

"That's right…" he said as he threw Kimeru to the ground and walked over to Takigawa, yanking the man up with his hair. "Say goodbye to him, Kime," he said as he cocked the gun under Takigawa's chin.

Then two simultaneous gunfires were heard.

Kimeru managed to get up and fling himself at Takigawa, causing the bullet to hit him near the area where he was first shot. At the same time, Hiraoka fired a shot towards Takudo, hitting him square behind the chest.

Yanagi's eyes went wide before looking at Hiraoka. "Why…"

"He was a nuisance…" he merely said before throwing his gun over the cliff and walking towards the car. "This is the time to call the police, you know…" he told the boy before pulling out a cigarette and placing it between his lips.

Takigawa's vision blurred for about five seconds before he shook his head and realized that Kimeru had moved to protect him… only to get shot again. The Tezuka actor groaned and brought his uninjured arm around Kimeru. "You really are stubborn…" he said with a deep sigh, wincing at the pain on his bleeding shoulder.

Moriyama had already taken the liberty of calling the authorities as soon as Hiroaki had fired his gun and that they were already on their way.

"Tsk…You're not supposed to complain, idiot," Kimeru said with a grin at Takigawa as he clutched his side.

Yanagi walked over to them. "That…was amazing Kimeru…where did you learn to shoot like that?" he asked.

Kimeru pointed at Takigawa. "Which makes me wonder why he didn't take a chance to fire a shot," the singer muttered.

"Body froze up," Takigawa said in defense, frowning. "As much as I wanted to I couldn't."

Moriyama smirked as he approached Yanagi. "Are you much in awe at the results of your lessons, Takigawa?" Moriyama teased.

Momo squeaked as he jumped on Takigawa's head. "Someone was worried," Kimeru said with a chuckle, but abruptly stopped when he felt more blood flow from his wounds. "Where is an ambulance when you need it?" he said as he winced.

"Wanna bet that the media would be following them?" Yanagi said.

-break-

Meanwhile, Daisuke sat on the couch and turned on the TV. "Let's see if there's any new about Kime…"

-break-

"It won't take them-" Moriyama began before he heard a familiar siren in the distance. "-long."

Takigawa smirked. "Things would have been easier if you just stayed in the hospital…" he scolded the singer.

"How would it have been easier? You honestly think I could stand the thought of you taken away from me just when my parents…" he trailed off, looking angry as he looked away from Takigawa.

Yanagi looked at Moriyama but said nothing.

Takigawa gently made Kimeru face him and locked their lips for a few brief moments before pulling back. "Did you think I'd let myself be killed so easily, Kime?" he whispered.

Kimeru shook his head. "No… But you were kidnapped and I knew that they won't hesitate to do what they did to my mom and dad…" he said as he looked at Takigawa. "I can't afford to lose anybody else, Eiji."

Various police cars, ambulances, and media vans pulled up not far from the group as Takigawa held Kimeru close. "I know. But you should know that there was no way I was going to die like that, Kime… I'd do everything I possible could to keep on living and to stay with you for as long as I can…"

Kimeru sighed. "I'd say something nice but I think I'm about to pass out of the blood loss…" he said.

Yanagi chuckled. "Well, there's that and the fact that this is the second time today that you've been beaten up, Kimeru."

"Don't speak anymore…" Takigawa hushed as the paramedics approached them. "Everything will be fine…" he lulled the singer quietly as he allowed the paramedics to tend to their injuries and prevent any more blood from protruding from their wounds.

-break-

Furukawa joined Daisuke on the couch. "Anything?" he inquired.

"Nothing-" Daisuke was cut off by a sudden live feed. "Kimeru…" he said in shock as he watched the singer be wheeled into an ambulance, an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth.

Furukawa's eyes widened as he got to his feet. "What happened…?"

Shirota moved up to them from behind as the live feed shifted over to the scene, where Takigawa was shown. "Eiji-nii!"

Daisuke frowned. "I have no idea but it looks serious…" he said as he looked at the headline of the scene. "J-pop singer, Kimeru, caught in crossfire with kidnappers," he read out loud.

-break-

"In the end he still ends up passing out," Yanagi said with a sigh.

Moriyama shook his head. "The good news is, they're both fine, Kotaro."

Yanagi shook his head. "Alive, yes… Fine…we don't know that yet… Remember, Kime got shot twice and Takigawa, once…and earlier today Kimeru got quite a beating."

-break-

"We need to see them NOW!" Shirota urged to the fourth cast Tezuka-Fuji pair.

"Shirotan, you're going to have to relax and wait a bit before-"

"Kime-nii is in critical condition already and you expect us not to do anything?" Shirota interjected.

-break-

"Kimeru's a stubborn person who will not take to giving in to those types of injuries that aren't life-threatening…" Moriyama supplied. "Takigawa's just the same."

"Stubborn people…" Yanagi muttered as he spotted the medic who was approaching them. Momo, who had managed to find them, squeaked as he reached Yanagi's foot. The boy smiled before bending down to retrieve him. "There you are."

-break-

Daisuke looked at Shirota for a moment before sighing. "Let's just take them, Yuuta…before they give me a headache."

Aiba smiled as he looked at Daisuke. "You're worried about him too, aren't you?"

"Of course I'm not."

Furukawa stifled a chuckle over to Daisuke as he got to his feet. "Stop being so modest, Daisuke."

"I'm not being modest, Yuuta…" he said as he looked at the group. "So are we going or what?"

"Yes, we're going," Shirota announced, moving to the door as fast as his good foot and crutches could take him.

Aiba grinned as he followed Shirota out.

Daisuke sighed, before muttering something and holding the door open for Furukawa. "I'm driving," he said.

Furukawa smiled. "You wouldn't want me driving, anyway," the taller of the two supplied before gently pushing Daisuke ahead of him to lock the door.

Daisuke nodded before assisting Shirota and Aiba to get into the back seat.

"A-re? Aren't these the myu application forms?" Aiba said as he saw a familiar piece of paper on the seat. Picking it up and looked at it closely. "Eh? For the role of Tezuka?"

Daisuke's eyes widened in alarm and tried to stand, only to hit his head on the roof of the car. "Ow…" he said as he rubbed his head and took the paper from Aiba. "That wasn't something that you should see," he muttered before getting on the driver's side.

Furukawa eased into the front passenger seat and put on his seatbelt, looking back to the pair in the back. "Well, at least now you all know of Daisuke's plans," was all he said.

"It's not impossible for him to get the role, though… He fits the bill on Tezuka's personality more than I do," Shirota added with a grin.

"We'll have to see what comes out of the auditions," Daisuke said as he backed out of the driveway and took off for the road.

Aiba nodded. "I'm rooting for you, Watanabe-san~" he said.

Shirota shot Daisuke a thumbs-up. "Best of luck to you~" he added with a toothy grin.

Furukawa chuckled. "You have early supporters, Daisuke," he pointed out.

"And since Furukawa-san here is the sure shot 4th cast Fuji…" Aiba said with a smirk.

Daisuke coughed distractedly, keeping his eyes on the road.

-break-

The first cast Momoshiro-Echizen pair was soon back in the room where Kimeru was placed before, this time with an extra bed wheeled in where Takigawa could rest on.

The Echizen actor sighed. "How much long are they going to operate?" he asked out loud.

-break-

"Ueshima-sensei enjoys making those pairings," Shirota admitted, leaning back on the seat.

"And I'm sure he'll enjoy much more with this one," Aiba said as he looked out the window.

Shirota chuckled. "That he will."

Daisuke frowned. "As long as they won't have Yuuta paired to another Tezuka…" he muttered to himself.

Furukawa held back a chuckle, shifting his gaze out the window.

-break-

Moriyama shrugged. "We can't help it, Kotaro… It's never a reassuring thing when caught in gunshot crossfire," the Momoshiro actor admitted.

Yanagi frowned. "But it's unsettling…at least Takigawa would be back by now…"

Moriyama frowned. "What can you do, he's worried about Kimeru as well."

"Who wouldn't be? I mean just look at his injuries," Yanagi said, subconsciously patting Momo who was on his shoulder.

Moriyama shrugged his shoulders, leaning back on the wall as he moved to stroke Momo as well. "Things will be alright, Kotaro."

Momo squeaked in satisfaction as the two turned their attention to him.

-break-

About half an hour later, Shirota, Aiba, Furukawa and Daisuke arrived at the hospital and was directed to where Kimeru and Takigawa's room was.

"So…Kime-nii is still under operation and Eiji-nii is already in the recovery room," Aiba said.

Shirota, who had propped his leg up onto another chair after the assistance of Moriyama, sighed heavily. "I do hope Kime-nii will be alright…" he said forlornly.

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Moriyama reassured the group with a forced smile. "So don't make it seem as if you're wishing the worst from them! They're stronger than this!"

Aiba sighed before spotting Momo on Yanagi's shoulder. "Well, look who's here," he said.

Shirota chuckled. "You're worried about them as well, aren't you, Momo?" he inquired.

Momo squeaked before nuzzling Yanagi. "Hey that tickles!" the Echizen actor exclaimed.

-break-

"Takigawa-san, please let us wheel you back in the room," a nurse said as she stood beside Takigawa's bed in the recovery room.

Takigawa shook his head. "I'll go when Kimeru's released out from surgery as well," he said for the third time.

The nurse frowned but nodded. "I shall leave you for a while then, Takigawa-san. Feel free to push that red button beside you should you need anything," she said before bowing and leaving the room.

Takigawa watched the nurse leave before he let out a sigh of relief, leaning back on the pillows, closing his eyes. _'You better get through surgery already, Kime…'_ he thought to himself, bringing a hand up gingerly to his currently operated shoulder.

-break-

About half an hour later, the unconscious J-pop artist was wheeled into the recovery room.

The doctor walked up to Takigawa. "The two of you did well in the surgery. I recommend that you don't do anything tiring for the next few weeks to allow your injuries to heal properly," he said.

"Which means you'll get all the help you can get," A voice said from the doorway. Daisuke, who had managed to slip away from the group walked inside as the doctor bowed before leaving the two men and the unconscious singer in the recovery room. "Yo."

Takigawa looked over to Daisuke and examined him for a moment before nodding. "Hi…" he greeted. "Will you being here mean that Shirotan and Aibachii are both here?" Takigawa asked quietly.

Daisuke nodded as he walked towards Takigawa's bed. "They were pretty determined to see how you two were doing since they saw the flash news," he said as he settled on a chair between Kimeru and Takigawa's bed. "That's a nasty wound you have."

Takigawa chanced a glance down at his shoulder. "Oh, this is nothing compared to Kimeru's wounds…" he said forlornly, looking over to Kimeru.

Daisuke looked at Kimeru before sighing. "Like I said…you'll need a lot of help at Shirota and Aiba's," he said.

"And you're offering to be that help, is that right?" Takigawa inquired, shifting his gaze over to the man.

Daisuke nodded. "If it is okay with you, that is," he answered.

Takigawa smiled, nodding. "By all means, Watanabe-kun," he replied.

Daisuke paused for a moment. "And…I also…want to ask for some tips while I'll be helping around…" he started. "I'm auditioning for 4th cast."

Takigawa blinked, looking over to Daisuke, raising his eyebrows. "Auditioning… for the role of Tezuka on the Myu, alongside Furukawa…?"

Daisuke nodded mutely, shifting his gaze to the water dispenser nearby. "I thought I'd give it a shot…Yuuta has been telling me about the auditions…and I think it would be nice spending more time with him with this opportunity."

Takigawa's features softened, smiling and chuckling. "I'm sure you wouldn't be needing tips from me to pass the auditions, Watanabe-kun."

"That's not true…I'm really no good in acting…" Daisuke answered with a huff. "And my singing voice is horrendous."

Takigawa shook his head. "I beg to differ. Among the two of us, I'm sure you would have a better singing voice than me if you learned to polish it, and you have your experiences watching Furukawa's Myu practices as your guide."

"When I watch Furukawa practice…" Daisuke said flatly. "I don't really observe his…acting skills," he admitted. "But I guess it's about time that I do."

Takigawa smiled, nodding. "Yes. And if you need someone to give you advice, you're better off asking Shirotan and Aibacchi. Shirotan has more experience in musicals than any of us," he explained.

"Shirota…" he said with a nod. "I'll keep that in mind, Takigawa." He leaned back on the chair. "In the meantime, we shall both be thankful that Yuuta and I live near Shirota's place so that we can help around," he said, completely switching the topic.

Takigawa closed his eyes, nodding. "Then we will be thankful for that," he replied.

Daisuke nodded before leaning back a bit more, thinking to himself and letting the two get some well deserved rest.

-break-

"A-re? Where's that Watanabe guy?" Yanagi asked as he looked around the room.

Furukawa chuckled. "If I know Daisuke, he probably went to look for those two."

Shirota frowned. "Eeh? No fair!" he complained.

Aiba blinked. "Why would he go look for Eiji-nii and Kime-nii?" he asked the other Fuji actor.

Yanagi blinked as he looked at Furukawa. _'Why does this guy look so familiar?'_ he thought.

Furukawa shrugged his shoulders good-naturedly. "He has his own reasons."

Moriyama looked over to Yanagi. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's nothing," Yanagi said.

"I wonder how long would it take for them to get wheeled back here," Aiba mused.

"Hopefully not very long," Shirota complained with a slight frown.

Moriyama nodded. "I'm sure they wouldn't want to keep you waiting since they know you're just as worried about them, Shirotan."

A nurse stepped in the recovery room and spotted the two sleeping men. Nodding to herself she called some people to wheel them back to the room.

Daisuke silently stood up and followed them.

-break-

"Oh look, here-" Aiba was cut off when Daisuke brought a finger to his lips, gesturing for them to be quiet as the two actors were brought in the room.

Shirota shifted in his seat as he turned to the door to see Takigawa and Kimeru being wheeled back into the room.

Daisuke leaned against the wall as the nurses left. "No complications, we're just waiting for them to wake up," he said quietly.

"They must be dead tired after all that…" Shirota said quietly. "How long do you think it'll take before they wake up?"

"Give or take about a few hours," Daisuke answered.

Aiba smiled. "Yuu, it's just like a role reversal, isn't it?" he said as he looked at the two first generation actors.

Momo squeaked before scuttling over to the beds and settling just above Kimeru's head.

Shirota chuckled. "Yeah, it is…"

Furukawa looked between the two. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Aiba smiled at Furukawa. "When Yuu and I acquired our injuries…we were also hospitalized and Kime-nii and Eiji-nii were the ones who watched over us," he explained.

"How DID you get those?" Yanagi asked.

Aiba sweatdropped. "It's a long story…"

"We have time to listen…" Moriyama countered, leaning back on the chair. "It would take a while before either of them wakes up, after all."

Shirota looked over to Aiba. "I dunno… It's a bit of a silly reason…"

"We just got beat up by a few people, that's all…" Aiba said as he looked away from the group.

"Doesn't look like a normal beating… I should know," Daisuke said as he looked at the two.

"It was just a misunderstanding…" Shirota continued sadly, avoiding everybody's gaze.

"Misunderstanding or not… We still want to know…" Furukawa supplied, frowning at the two.

Aiba sighed. "I was kidnaped then Yuu was kidnapped. We were beaten up and threatened… then they found out it was a big misunderstanding…" he said.

"Beaten with what?" Daisuke asked.

"Metal…bars…"

Shirota subconsciously rubbed against the cast on his leg. "I want to return the favor to Eiji-nii and Kime-nii for looking after us…" he said with a steady voice.

Daisuke raised his eyebrow at him. "You can't fully do that with the state you're in," he said. "Yuuta and I will be helping you four out."

"Eh?" Aiba exclaimed in surprise as he looked at Daisuke.

"And what do you mean by-" Shirota began.

Furukawa smiled to cut him off. "Daisuke and I will be keeping the four of you company and looking after you in the process," the third Fuji actor supplied.

Aiba blinked and Daisuke suddenly found the window very interesting.

Shirota nearly choked as he looked between Daisuke and Furukawa, his expression amazingly resembled the ever-famous 'EEEEEEH!' look of disbelief.

Moriyama chuckled. "Glad to see you're conscious enough not to raise your voice, Shirotan."

Daisuke sighed as he looked at Shirota. "Unless you have something against that," he said.

Aiba looked at Shirota and mouthed a 'No, this would be perfect opportunity for him and Eiji-nii.'

Shirota, upon seeing Aiba's lips and read what he wanted to say, turned to Daisuke and shook his head. "Nothing's wrong… Nothing against it… No…" he muttered.

Daisuke merely nodded before looking out the window again.

Aiba chuckled. "Things are getting more and more interesting at home…"

Furukawa chuckled. _'In the long run, it seems like I'll be looking after five people in that house once Kimeru and Takigawa are well enough to be transferred home…'_ the Fuji actor thought to himself.

Daisuke was about to say something when a furry thing fell off the bed.

"Momo!" Aiba said in surprise as he went towards the small creature. "Poor thing…you must be hungry," he muttered as he reached for his pocket and pulled out a few pellets.

Momo sprang into life and made a beeline towards the food.

"Definitely a Momo," Daisuke muttered.

Shirota looked around momentarily. "Did we bring Echizen along with us?" he inquired with a slight frown.

Moriyama chuckled. "You named your guinea pigs Momo and Echizen?"

Shirota nodded sheepishly. "Tezuka was the first. Then Hiroki adopted Fuji from Takuya, who gave birth to Kunisuke, Momo and Echizen. We gave Kunisuke away to Sakurada and Minami," he explained.

As an answer, Echizen scuttled out from the bag Daisuke grabbed at the house earlier and went over to Shirota's shoe.

Aiba smiled as he watched Momo eat.

Yanagi blinked. "I'm assuming that that one is Echizen."

Shirota chuckled and bent down to take Echizen up and stroked him affectionately, nodding over to Yanagi.

Moriyama looked over to Daisuke and furrowed his brows. "Watanabe-kun…" he began. "I apologize if I need to bring this up, but something's been bothering me about what you said earlier… When you said that you would recognize it if what happened to Shirotan and Aibacchi was a result of a normal beating… What exactly are you implying by saying so?"

Daisuke looked at Moriyama with a serious expression for a while before looking away. "It's…just something that's imprinted in me, that's all."

Aiba blinked. "Imprinted?" he asked.

Daisuke said nothing as moved to the window and sat on a couch just in front of it and said nothing.

Shirota eyed Daisuke for a long moment, as if assessing him. "You…" he began. "Did you go through something of the same magnitude?" he said cautiously.

Daisuke didn't look at him as he replied, "Worse. Just after freshman year in Mitsukaru…" he said. "I don't want to talk about it…" he said flatly. "…Yuuta was there afterwards…he took me to the doctor," he added as he glanced at Furukawa.

Furukawa frowned and leaned back on the wall before looking over to the others who shifted their gaze to him. He sighed. "For one reason or another, Daisuke found himself the target of a group of people from Shizuri High… Yes, the same guys who had beaten up Nagayan, Kimeru and Takigawa the following school year back in high school and who abducted Takigawa when Kime had that special case of amnesia a few months back," he began.

Aiba's eyes widened when he heard this. "You mean he got beaten up before all that happened?"

Daisuke looked grim, still avoiding eye contact with all of them. "On a twice a week routine…" he muttered.

Yanagi blinked. "And let me guess…even your boyfriend over here doesn't know the whole story up till now…and you've been together for how long again?" he said with a frown.

Daisuke glared at him but opted not to answer.

Moriyama gently slapped Yanagi on the shoulder. "That's rude…" he said under his breath before turning to Daisuke. "Why didn't you tell anyone about it?"

"Because he was worried for everybody else's safety to get anyone involved…" Furukawa supplied. "He withstood all that no matter how difficult it was… until there came a particular incident where I and the rest of the club just couldn't stand aside and ignore what was happening to him…"

"So… That was why they started going after Nagayama-senpai and Kime-nii, right?" Shirota inquired as Furukawa nodded.

Daisuke sighed as he looked at Furukawa. "Now don't go making me look noble and all…I simply did it because you all had your own lives to live."

"And so do you, so don't blindly throw yourself at danger, thank you very much," Furukawa countered testily.

Daisuke frowned. "It wasn't that life threatening, Yuuta and you know it," he said. "Don't think I didn't know about you tailing me after classes."

"The reason I did was because I was worried about you," Furukawa answered. "And are you trying to tell me that it wasn't life threatening that you had to spend practically the entire summer break in the confines of a hospital room?" he asked, trying to keep his tone even.

"A summer I would have rather spend out of it since after that my parents were complaining of all the damn expenses afterwards," Daisuke answered back.

Aiba, at this point, was already backed to the wall in shock that this was transpiring.

Moriyama got to his feet and decided to get in the middle to stop this feud from progressing further. "Okay, I'm drawing the line here," he instructed to the two, looking from Daisuke to Furukawa. "The both of you should cool yourselves down. I apologize for having to bring up the topic, Watanabe-kun, but this isn't something we should be discussing in the midst of the people present, more so when both Takigawa and Kimeru are still resting."

Daisuke glared at Furukawa one last time before getting up and leaving the room, heading to the rooftop of the hospital in hopes that his temper would ease up.

Furukawa watched Daisuke leave the room and sighed heavily.

Shirota frowned. "Are you just going to let him walk away like that? You should straighten things out with him, at least…"

Furukawa smiled sadly over to Shirota. "I know… But with the way Daisuke's been living his life lately, the best way for him to cool down is exactly in this manner; to get away from everything for a while."

"That doesn't always work…" Shirota countered. "Because you're his boyfriend, you should take the initiative to amend whatever problems you have between yourselves. Even if it's about pent-up bitter memories…"

-break-

Daisuke placed his arms on the ledge and took in a deep breath. He closed his eyes and willed for all the suppressed anger and bitterness he had to back down once more.

Ever since that scene happened all those years before, he had vowed to himself that he would never show vulnerability again, especially in front of those he cared about the most. It was the best way after all, he thought, that people would just back off and not get any more involved than they need to be. But the price was…that no one knew who the real Watanabe Daisuke was.

"Damn it!" Fisting his palms, bowed his head in a furious attempt to make the sudden flurry of emotion die down.

-break-

"You're the only one who Watanabe-senpai will open up to…" Shirota continued. "You're the only one who could possibly understand him. Break his barriers… in the best way you know how, Furukawa-senpai…" he ended with a smile. "From experience, I know it's not easy… But if he loves you… he _will_ crumble. And he'll show you the real him… for sure."

Aiba nodded and approached. "That's right, Furukawa," he said. "And after all this time, I think it's about time that the real Watanabe Daisuke comes out."

-break-

Daisuke took in a shaky breath as he used his sleeve to wipe away the few tears that managed to get past his defenses. He turned around and slid down on the floor, placing his arms around his knees and looking at the vast sky that can be seen just above the ledge on the other side of the roof.

-break-

Furukawa looked from Shirota to Aiba and nodded. "Arigatou…" he said before he headed out the room to search for his boyfriend, having a general idea where he would have gone off to.

Moriyama watched the tall Fuji actor leave before returning his gaze to Shirota. "Experience?" he repeated with a slight raise of eyebrow.

Shirota smiled widely. "Aa, experience…" he stated, turning to Aiba. "With someone who, for a time, had put up the same defenses and was stoic with everything in school."

Aiba nodded at Shirota before smiling at Moriyama and placing Momo on his shoulder. "Aa. And it was Yuu who managed to pull me out of it all."

Moriyama grinned. "Good to hear."

-break-

Daisuke sighed as he pulled down the sleeve of his long sleeved shirt, letting the emotions ebb away and be replaced by a substitute.

Furukawa reached the rooftop and caught his breath after running up the flights of stairs in a rush. He spotted Daisuke and approached him before he stopped in mid-step when he caught sight of what Daisuke was doing. "What are you doing?" he demanded.

Daisuke immediately placed his hands down, looking at Furukawa in complete shock. "I-It's nothing!" he said quickly.

Furukawa approached him in as little as two strides and glared down at the man. There was a tension of silence between the two before the Fuji actor sighed heavily and knelt down and took Daisuke's hands and looked down at them. "How… How long have you…" he trailed off.

Daisuke looked away, not even attempting to pull his hands away from the other. "Every time…every time I find myself unable to control my outburst…" he admitted quietly. "I didn't want you to know…"

Furukawa's gaze slowly shifted from Daisuke's arms to his face and brought a hand up to make the man face him. "But I _want_ to know these things… That's why I'm here. You don't have to keep everything to yourself, Daisuke… Don't resort to doing these things just because you're afraid to show weakness…" he explained softly. "You can keep the memories and experiences that make you feel uncomfortable to yourself… It's the only reason you don't want to think back on it - to leave it behind and _move on_…"

Furukawa stroked his thumb along Daisuke's cheek before leaning forward for a short kiss on the man's lips before pulling away. "So please… Stop thinking that way…" he said quietly as a single tears trailed down from his eyes and pulled Daisuke into a warm embrace.

Daisuke's eyes widened as he felt Furukawa embrace him. "Y-Yuuta…" he managed to say. _'Why...is my vision blurring?'_ he wondered. He was more confused when he felt something warm slide down his cheek. _'Tears?'_ he thought. He tried saying something but he found himself unable to use his voice. For the first time since that incident in Mitsukaru, Daisuke finally allowed his barriers to crumble as he embraced Furukawa back and buried his face into the taller boy's neck.

"I'm sorry, Yuuta…I'm so…sorry…" he said between sobs. He just held on to him like that for a long time, letting every pent up frustration, bitterness and sadness out after years of holding back and hiding them from everyone.

After what seemed like an hour, Daisuke finally calmed down enough to pull back a bit, just enough so he can look at the person he loved the most. He sniffed as he brought up his arm to wipe away the remainder of the tears. He felt like he was back in Mitsukaru, during the time when Furukawa found him all beaten up and bloody. But this time, unlike before, he wanted him to know what happened instead of keeping it to himself.

"Do you…still want to know…what happened back then?" he asked timidly.

Furukawa examined Daisuke for a long moment before nodding. "If you trust me with what happened, Daisuke, then tell me everything..." he replied, a small smile escaping him. "I'm always free to listen to whatever you have to say… I always have been."

Daisuke nodded and looked down. "It…started with a petty reason, really…" he started. "One of them was my brother's friend. He and my brother had always bullied me into doing a lot of things. And when we started attending Mitsukaru, I told myself that I would stand up for myself," he said before frowning. "But that was the same time they got into a lot of vices…and they started to threaten me everytime I refused. They even said that they would harm you and the others."

Furukawa kept quiet while he listened to Daisuke's story before he frowned. "So… because you kept refusing… your brother's friend's group ganged up on you for your brother…?" he inquired.

Daisuke nodded. "Pretty much it…" he admitted sheepishly. "Even my parents were telling me to just bear it and do what he wants," he said with a frown. "…which is something I do not appreciate up until now."

Furukawa moved to sit himself down beside Daisuke, his knees aching from kneeling the entire time before he affectionately wrapped an arm around Daisuke, keeping him steady. "Your parents agree on what your brother thinks is the best action for you, then…" he said, trying to understand things from what Daisuke was telling him.

Daisuke sighed. "They threatened that they would kill you at one point…" he said as he looked at his hands. "They knew where you lived…" He fell silent and bowed his head before reaching out to his boyfriend, clutching on to his sleeve.

"I don't fault you for thinking that way if you were worried for my safety, Daisuke..." Furukawa pointed out as he looked at the grip Daisuke now had on his sleeve.

"Also…my brother…had another hold on me…" Daisuke continued quietly. "Remember the time…when you came over…and my door was locked?"

Furukawa nodded and took Daisuke's hand into both of his own. "Yes… What about it?"

"Think back carefully…who were the people who walked out from my room…?" Daisuke said, voice slightly trembling. "Remember how I told you I felt weak and that you pointed out that I looked flushed," he continued before looking at Furukawa. "Then recall the fact that I never…_ever_…lock the door to my room."

Furukawa's mind quickly accessed his memory and recalled that his brother and the other Shizuri boys exited Daisuke's room, and considered the fact of Daisuke's fatigue before his eyes widened in realization as he finished piecing everything together. "They… You…" was all he could stutter before grabbing Daisuke and wrapped his arms around the man, afraid to let go and provide him with as much comfort as he could possibly give.

Daisuke clutched on to him, head bowed on the crook of Furukawa's neck. "That wasn't the only time Yuuta…" he managed to say before the last of his barriers crumbled.

While all this was happening, a faint squeak was heard as a furry creature pressed against Furukawa's ankle.

Furukawa rubbed Daisuke's back in efforts to help him relax and soothe him, making faint hushing noises. "It's alright, Daisuke… I understand… The past is past… We have to move on from it. But this time…" Furukawa pulled back and cupped Daisuke's face with both hands. "We do it _together_ this time, Daisuke. Okay?"

Daisuke nodded as he calmed himself down. He closed his eyes and wiped away his tears with his sleeve and almost jumped when he felt something nuzzle his neck. "What the-" he was cut off when he grabbed whatever it was and looked at it.

Echizen looked up at him and squeaked.

Furukawa spotted the guinea pig before chuckling at it. "Seems someone strayed off from the group to be affectionate," he stated with a small smile.

Daisuke plucked Echizen from his shoulder and placed in on Furukawa's shoulder. "Aa…" he said before taking in a deep calming breath. "Yuuta…Arigatou."

Furukawa felt Echizen nuzzling on his neck but paid no attention to it as he nodded to Daisuke. "Anytime, Daisuke. Anything for you."

Daisuke smiled before looking at the sky. "Can we stay here…for just a bit longer?" he asked.

Furukawa took Echizen into his hands, stroked the guinea pig before it wiggled out of his grasp and returned to his shoulder to nuzzle him. "If that's what you'd like to do, I won't object," he replied.

Daisuke smiled at him and leaned forward to kiss his cheek before patting Echizen on the head.

-break-

"I wonder how they are doing…" Aiba mused as he looked at where Daisuke was seated earlier.

Shirota leaned back on his chair and closed his eyes. "Not that we know them too much, but I'm sure Furukawa-senpai will have said the right things to help Watanabe-senpai through."

Aiba nodded as he sat on the couch, holding a now sleeping Momo in his hands.

-break-

Around an hour later, Daisuke returned with Furukawa who had Echizen perched on his shoulder. Yanagi looked at them as they entered, looking for signs of what might have happened while they were out.

Daisuke made a beeline towards the couch where he was previously on. Sitting down he crossed his arms and cleared his throat, making Yanagi look away with a grin.

Furukawa stayed by the door for a few moments as he watched Daisuke head wordlessly to the couch and shook his head.

"Things go well?" Moriyama inquired.

Furukawa nodded. "As well as they can be," he replied.

"Eh? Echizen went with you?" Aiba said as he pointed to the guinea pig on the other Fuji actor's shoulder.

"Found his way to us on the rooftop," Furukawa clarified, stroking the guinea pig in question.

Shirota chuckled. "I suspect Tezuka and Fuji will be left to themselves now. All their kids are going astray. Kunisuke to Sakurada and Minami… Momoshiro to Eiji-nii and Kime-nii… And now Echizen to Furukawa-senpai and Watanabe-senpai," he mused.

Daisuke looked at Shirota and frowned. "What do you mean Echizen going with us?" he said. "We can't have any pets…"

Aiba blinked. "Why is that?" he asked.

Furukawa moved to sit on the armchair beside Daisuke. "Yes, why not?" he inquired just as well.

"Because…because…" Daisuke looked at the Echizen, who seemed to be giving him a glassy eyed expression. He twitched before looking away. "I guess it's fine if it would just be him," he muttered causing Aiba to chuckle.

Shirota grinned. "I still enjoyed Minami-kun's reaction to keeping Kunisuke, though," he admitted. "He was in total disbelief after having to chase after Momo and Echizen practically the whole time while taking care of them for us while we were in Hokkaido."

"Momo and Echizen gave him a hard time, didn't they?"Aiba said in amusement. "Maybe I should ask them to bring Kunisuke to practice one time and I'll bring Momo."

"That would be interesting for them," Shirota pointed out. "A little reunion among the sibling guinea pigs~"

Aiba nodded as he looked at the sleeping Momo in his hands.

Daisuke finally looked away from Echizen, a tinge of pink on his cheeks and muttered something about guinea pigs taking over the world.

Takigawa groaned out as he twisted his head about before finally opening his eyes wearily, causing Shirota to shift in his seat.

"Eiji-nii, you're up," Shirota stated, leaning towards the man's bed. "Are you alright?"

Takigawa brought a hand up to rub his eyes and nodded. "Fatigued but otherwise I'm alright…" he replied hoarsely.

Aiba smiled when he heard Takigawa's voice. "Glad to have you back, Eiji-nii~" he said happily, placing Momo on the couch beside Daisuke as he stood up to go over.

Yanagi stood from his seat. "Would you want anything?" he asked. "Water?"

Takigawa turned to Yanagi and nodded. "That would help, thank you," he replied.

"How's your shoulder doing?" Moriyama inquired.

Takigawa looked down at it. "Stiff," the first Tezuka actor admitted.

Yanagi nodded as he went to the water dispenser but blinked when he realized that Daisuke was already handing the water to Takigawa. "Eh?" he said in disbelief.

Moriyama chuckled. "Someone knows what Takigawa-kun already wants," he assumed before turning to Takigawa as he took the cup and drank down its contents. "I believe we should be talking about who would be taking care of you guys while you're here in the hospital."

"We-" Aiba started.

"Not you two," Daisuke cut of sternly. "You two still need to recover." Aiba pouted when he heard this.

"We can alternate, right?" Yanagi volunteered as he looked at Moryiama.

Moriyama nodded to Yanagi. "Watanabe and Furukawa as well as Yanagai and I can take turns in looking after Takigawa and Kimeru here and looking after Shirota and Aiba at their place."

Shirota sighed. "We're on house arrest again, aren't we?" Shirota said with a hint of sorrow in his voice.

Daisuke looked at Shirota. "We can take you here every twice a week if you want," he suggested.

Aiba nodded eagerly. "That would be great, Watanabe-senpai."

Yanagi grinned. "We'll take first watch then."

"Wait a minute… Deciding all this by yourselves…" Takigawa began before wincing at his shoulder and gripped on it.

"Take it easy, Takigawa," Furukawa said worriedly.

Aiba smiled at him. "It's alright, Eiji-nii…you need to be taken cared off too," he assured the man. "Besides, with everything you did so far don't you think you earned it?"

Daisuke nodded in agreement.

"But I still think that-" Takigawa began.

"Nonsense!" Moriyama interjected. "Bottom line is you and Kimeru deserve a break from responsibility. You two have been looking after Shirota and Aiba these past few months already, so it's only fitting that now that you two have landed yourselves in need to rest due to physical injuries, we lend a hand to help you this time around."

Daisuke looked at his watch before glancing at Shirota and Aiba, "We're leaving in an hour," he announced.

TO BE CONTINUED. :D

We look forward to your reviews and possible suggestions. :)


	19. The New Couple

**Title:** Anything for You

**Author/Artist:** snooperj & Bloodysamurai

**Series/Pairing(s):** TeniMyu; Mainly Takigawa Eiji x Kimeru, Shirota Yuu x Aiba Hiroki & Watanabe Daisuke x Furukawa Yuuta

**Notes:** Here is the 19th chapter entitled **The New Couple**. This chapter centers on the third Tezuka-Fuji pair, celebrating their anniversary and details Daisuke's proposal to Furukawa. While this is happening though, another plot begins to formulate in the form of Daisuke's older brother, Watanabe Kyou. This chapter details the events of March 30, 2007.

**ALSO! None of the authors of this roleplay/fanfic own TeniMyu or the actors, but are mere fangirls of the musical series and corresponding actors we write about. Everything that progresses in the story is the creation of our witty imaginations.

* * *

Three days after the incident, Takigawa was already fit enough to be released from the hospital. Kimeru was due to stay for a bit longer since the doctors deemed that he was not well enough to go home.

Around 10 in the morning, a nurse came over with Takigawa's release papers. "Excuse me~" she said as she entered the room.

"He's not leaving without Kimeru!" Moriyama stated, moving to block the nurse's entrance and swiftly - but gently - pushed her out of the room and closed the door on her.

"Eh?" Yanagi said as he heard the door close. "What was that about?"

Moriyama turned back inside and shook his head and retook his seat beside Yanagi. "Oh, nothing of much importance… Takigawa will thank me for it," he stated with a grin towards Takigawa's sleeping form.

The nurse blinked at the closed door before smiling. "Not leaving without Kimeru-san..." she said as she wrote it down on the clipboard she was holding. "Noted~" she said cheerfully before heading back to the nurse's station.

Aiba paused in the middle of reading a magazine when he sniffed the air. He looked over to Shirota. "Don't tell me that Watanabe-senpai is already cooking lunch at this hour..." he said.

Shirota took a whiff as well as he set down his book. "Yes, it would seem that he is," he admitted. "I never thought that he'd be so eager to cook..."

Daisuke fumbled around the kitchen as he read off the recipe book he found among the books on the shelf. "Lemon.....Oil....What else to I need?" he muttered as he looked at the list.

"Makes me wonder what he's making this time around, though..." Aiba said as he turned his attention back to the magazine. "Maybe today's special...I saw him bring out a cook book earlier…" he added as he adjusted his reading glasses.

Shirota shrugged his shoulders and flipped onto the next page of his book and continued reading. "I guess so..." he replied.

Daisuke put the flames on medium heat and stepped back with a satisfied grin. "Still have a lot of time to work with the other dish..." he said in satisfaction. He washed his hands and glanced at the calendar. "I wonder if he remembers what today is..." he mused with a soft smile.

Furukawa was fixing a few things. He and Daisuke had decided to sleep over at Shirota and Aiba's house while taking care of them, having to take the former's old bedroom for lack of any more bedrooms.

Daisuke flipped through the cook book and stopped at a certain page. "Now to start with the biggest challenge of my life… Making Yuuta's favorite food…" he muttered as he scanned the ingredients and frowned. "Tsk...I finished up the last of the soy sauce…" he said as he put down the book on the counter and left it open on the page of the dish he intended to make for Furukawa. Quickly grabbing his keys he walked out of the kitchen. "I'm going out to the store, I'll be right back," he told Aiba and Shirota as he passed them.

Aiba blinked at him and waved as he passed.

Shirota watched Daisuke leave the house before turning to Aiba. "Think you wanna take a peek at what he's trying to make?" he said mischievously over to his boyfriend.

Aiba grinned and put the Magazine on the table. "Sure," he said with a nod.

Shirota marked his book and put it down on the coffee table before turning his attention to Aiba. "Go on, go on," he called.

Meanwhile, Daisuke was running down the road when he suddenly remembered something. "Watanabe Daisuke...you complete utter idiot..." he muttered as he looked at the car keys in his hand. "Why didn't you take the car?!" he said and turned red when he noticed that people were looking at him. Clearing his throat distractedly he continued walking towards the store.

Aiba nodded as he stood up and led the way to the kitchen. He looked around and saw the Lemon Chicken before moving to peek at the cook book, "A-re? Chicken Marsala? That's a bit complicated..." he said before spotting another recipe book under the cook book.

"The Chocolate Lovers' Cookbook… I didn't know we had one of these…" Aiba continued as he looked at the page that was marked. "I wonder what's so special about today..."

Shirota, who had limped into the kitchen after Aiba, spotted the cookbook on Chocolate and quickly looked away with a slight blush on his cheeks. "Probably a celebration of sorts... Like... an anniversary?" he suggested.

"Maybe..." Aiba answered before placing the cook books in order. "If we're lucky we'll be able to see another side of Watanabe-senpai today," he added happily.

As soon as Daisuke bought whatever else he needed a certain shop caught his attention. He walked over to the display window and looked at the displayed items.

"Need some help-- eh? Daisuke?!"

Daisuke blinked and looked up. "Misato Hirata. What are you doing here?" he asked in surprise. "Haven't heard from you since our last taping a month ago."

"Same with you," Hirata answered. "And my family owns this place… Let me guess, planning to make this day more special for you and Furukawa-kun?"

Daisuke looked away in embarrassment. "You remembered?" he mumbled.

Hirata grinned. "Of course I do. It's kind of hard to forget after you all got us to help last year...now...let me help you look at the merchandise. I'll give you a discount."

"You don't have to do that…"

"Consider it as an advance gift then."

About an hour later, Daisuke walked out of the shop, promising Hirata that he would tell him what would happen. Feeling a little nervous, he started heading back to Shirota and Aiba's place.

"Good thing that the chicken was left with 45 minutes left in the oven...I wonder what's taking Watanabe-senpai..." Aiba said as he flipped through the channels. "Oh look Yuu...an Ultraman-- WASN'T THAT WATANABE-SENPAI?!"

Shirota, having settled back in the couch with Aiba, had his eyes cast on the television screen before stumbling sidewards at Aiba's exclamation. "Yes, it was," Shirota replied coolly. "I remember Aoyama-senpai telling Eiji-nii and Kime-nii one time that Watanabe-senpai was going to be part of one of the new Ultraman TV series," he explained.

After cleaning what he could upstairs, Furukawa gave a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from his forehead and decided to take a well-deserved shower.

"I'm back," Daisuke said with a tired sigh as he entered the house. He blinked when he saw what the two second generation actors were watching on TV. Muttering something incoherently, he blushed before hurriying to the kitchen to finish what he could. "You two...can you I ask you to help?" he called out.

Aiba blinked. "Sure Watanabe-senpai. What exactly would you want help with?"

Daisuke walked out of the kitchen and showed them a page from the Chocolate Lovers' cookbook. "This cake...I don't have enough time if I do it alone," he said.

"Black Forest?" Aiba said in confusion and Daisuke nodded. "Sure we can help."

Shirota stayed put on his place in the couch. "I suggest you leave me out of it, Watanabe-senpai. I'll get a bit uncontrollable around chocolate," he admitted as he turned off the TV and placed the remote down on the coffee table in front of him.

Daisuke frowned before holding up a case of Chocolate coated raisins. "Even if I tell you that you'll be getting this afterwards?" he said as he shook the case.

Aiba blinked before grinning. "I'll go get started~" he said before strolling in the kitchen to get the ingredients.

Shirota turned to the sound of the case of chocolate coated raisins with much interest evident in his eyes. He immediately reached out for his crutches and got to his feet. "I'm helping!!" he exclaimed, moving quickly towards the kitchen past Daisuke with a big grin on his face.

Daisuke smirked before going back inside in the kitchen to finish the last of the dishes.

With Aiba and Shirota helping, they managed to finish the feast a little over an hour. Aiba had offered to set the table while Daisuke took a shower to wash away the sweat and the smell of the food that latched onto him.

Adding the finishing touches on the table, Aiba's attention was covered by a small plate with a round metal cover. "A-re? I don't remember putting this here..." he said. "Yuu...come over here," he asked his partner who has already started on the chocolate covered raisins.

He looked around and lifted the cover of the plate and felt a smile tug at his lips. "So that's what it is..." he said before covering it again. "This is going to be interesting."

Shirota inched over to see what was under the lid as Aiba lifted it and grinned. "Interesting indeed..." he said quietly before popping a raisin into his mouth before offering some to his boyfriend.

"Don't mind if I do~" Aiba said as he took one of the raisins.

"Yuuta," Daisuke called out as he entered the room. Smirking when he saw Furukawa's back at him he hurriedly placed a blindfold over his boyfriend's eyes.

Furukawa had just finished slipping a long-sleeved sweater on before he felt the blindfold cover his eyes. "Daisuke?" he inquired.

Daisuke smiled. "It's me," he said as he placed a hand on his boyfriend's shoulder. "Come on, I'll lead you downstairs...trust me..." he said. Dressed in a formal coat with a tie, Daisuke felt his heart start to pound nervously as he started leading Furukawa downstairs.

"Sit down," he mouthed over to Shirota and Aiba as soon as they were midway down the stairs.

Both boys spotted Daisuke and nodded in reply and settled themselves down while treating the chocolate raisins like popcorn to watch the event unfold.

As soon as they were in front of the table, Daisuke removed the blindfold and stepped beside the chair intended for Furukawa. When he was sure that Furukawa's eyes were in focus, he smiled at him.

Furukawa blinked a few times before his vision cleared, allowing him to see the dining table set in front of him before he turned to Daisuke. "Did you really have to go through all this---" he stopped when he saw what his boyfriend was wearing. "--trouble..." he finished, a blush now evident on his cheeks.

Daisuke took his hand and guided him to sit on the chair. "Only the best for the best," he whispered before kissing the tall actor on the cheek and moving to sit across him. "Now why don't you try the soup?" Daisuke said casually as he adjusted.

Furukawa chuckled and allowed to be led to his chair and sat down. He nodded and took the spoon for his soup and examined it for a few lingering moments before dipping it into the bowl, filling the spoon with it and blew on it before taking the whole mouthful into his mouth to savor the taste before swallowing. "I can tell you prepared this quite accurately," he complimented with a soft smile and took another spoonful of it. "It's delicious as usual."

Daisuke chuckled. "If that's what you think now, I can't wait till you see the main course," he said as he took a glance at the small plate that was strategically placed near Furukawa.

Aiba barely touched his serving of the soup as he watched the two anxiously.

Shirota screwed the case of his raisins closed and set it aside before glancing from one to the other from both sides and hesitantly reached out to his spoon to have some soup of his own.

Furukawa smiled. "I'm looking forward to it, then," he said happily.

When the group has finished the soup, Daisuke gestured to the covered dishes, deliberately pointing at the smallest one. "Can you do the honors?" he said.

At this point, even Aiba was getting as nervous as Daisuke probably was.

Furukawa quickly spotted the covered dish near him and grabbed hold of the small holder, pulling the lid out of the way before his eyes widened at the sight of what rested on the dish. The silver plate held a small box that was open to reveal what it held - a ring. Furukawa set the lid down and took the small box with both hands and took the ring out before looking to Daisuke in slight disbelief.

Shirota smiled to himself at this reaction. _'Watanabe-senpai sure knows how to romanticize things...'_ he thought.

Aiba meanwhile held back an 'awww' that was nagging at him at that moment and opted to hold on to Shirota with his uninjured hand.

Daisuke smiled and stood up before gently taking the ring from Furukawa and got down on one knee. "We've been through a lot these past years. Ever since we met in Junior High, I knew that you were going to have a special role in my life. It wasn't until Senior High when I realized just what that role was," he started with a soft smile.

"You've been with me through my best and stayed with me through my worst. We've been through almost everything together....I feel and I know that as long as you are beside me, I can do anything. You're the only one who can draw out the side of me that I have hidden from the world and that's why I love you so much...and that is also the reason why..." he said as glanced at the ring before gazing at Furukawa again. "That is why I want to ask you, Furukawa Yuuta, to do me the honor of spending the rest of your life with me."

Shirota grinned. _'That was such an inspiring speech,'_ he thought happily as he turned to Furukawa.

Furukawa felt his cheeks flush before he smiled brightly and nodded firmly. "I will. All these years... I've always believed that if I continued holding on, we would reach a point - this point - in our lives when we could finally... _finally_... officially be together. I've loved you and treasured you for everything you are... and I wouldn't and couldn't dream of a better life other than spending it with you, Watanabe Daisuke."

Daisuke smiled before slipping the ring on Furukawa's finger and standing up to kiss him. "I'm so glad..." he said softly as he pulled away. He chuckled before moving to uncover the rest of the food. "I think a good meal is in order," he said with a wink towards Shirota and Aiba. "I had some help in making this."

Furukawa returned the kiss before turning his attention to the food spread and turned to the younger pair. "Thank you for this as well, then," he said sincerely, nodding over to them and started getting some food for himself.

"This would be excellent news to tell Eiji-nii and Kime-nii," Shirota pointed out.

Aiba nodded, "Should we call?"

"We're going to visit after this," Daisuke said with a nod as he placed some food on his plate. "And bring them some of this as well since I know we won't be able to finish it."

Furukawa chuckled and agreed enjoying the food he had gotten for himself.

About halfway through dinner, the third Fuji actor noticed Shirota's case of chocolate raisins before pointing to it and turned to Daisuke. "Weren't you quite attached to this back in Senior High, Daisuke?" he inquired with an innocent grin.

Daisuke blinked and looked at the case before blushing furiously. "Yes...I was..." he said before clearing his throat. "But I'm glad to report that I'm not as attached to it now compared to then."

Furukawa raised his eyebrow slightly before taking the case and shook it. "Really?" he inquired innocently.

Shirota blinked and looked from Furukawa to Daisuke.

Daisuke twitched when he heard the sound and subconsciously inched away. "Don't tempt me....I already have my own stash upstairs…" he said.

Aiba grinned before looking at Shirota and chuckling evilly.

Furukawa smirked inwardly and handed the case to Shirota before finishing his food. "If you say so, Daisuke... If you say so..." he said fondly.

Daisuke muttered something incoherently before getting back to his food. Even though he was a bit flustered over that small revelation, a smile remained on his lips as he looked at Furukawa again, glancing at the ring that was now on the actor's finger.

After everything was put away and the food packed for the group in the hospital, Daisuke came back downstairs, now dressed in a shirt and jeans. "Everyone ready to go?" he asked.

Aiba nodded, waiting in the living room with Shirota.

"Yuuta?" Daisuke asked as he looked as his -now- fiancé.

Furukawa smiled and leaned down to give the man a kiss. "Yes," he replied.

Shirota held out his case of raisins to Aiba once more. "Care for a few more?" he inquired.

"No thank you, the cake already gave me quite the chocolate overdose," Aiba admitted.

Daisuke smiled and nodded to the group. "Let's get going then. I don't want to be caught up in the rush hour."

Kimeru looked at the door when he heard it open, still a bit weak, he slowly sat up.

"Yo," Daisuke greeted as he held up the bag of food.

Kimeru grinned at them. "Finally...food that actually has flavor~" he said happily before his sights focused on the ring Furukawa had on. "Wait wait wait! What the heck is that?!" he asked the tall Fuji actor. "Is that what I think it is?!"

Furukawa held up his hand with the ring before nodding, a blush on his cheeks.

Takigawa leaned back on the pillows behind him and smirked. "I was wondering when you'd have the courage to propose, Daisuke," the first Tezuka actor teased.

Daisuke felt his cheeks burn up before finishing setting up the food on a table.

"You should have seen how it was~" Aiba said happily as he took a seat beside Kimeru's bed.

"You were there?" Takigawa inquired.

"Of course we were," Shirota replied plainly, easing into the couch. "We _do_ live there, you know..."

Kimeru blinked before slumping back. "And you couldn't have done it here because?" he asked Daisuke with a frown.

"Because the food would get cold," Daisuke answered before looking at them. "Have you all eaten lunch yet?" he asked to steer the topic away from his proposal.

"That's a weird excuse," Takigawa admitted, looking over to Daisuke. "Unless you proposed over lunch..."

Shirota smiled. "It was a semi-romantic set-up. Watanabe-senpai was in formal wear," he explained.

"Define formal wear," Kimeru said.

"Coat and tie," Aiba supplied with a grin.

The J-Pop singer blinked before looking at his friend. "Daisuke in a coat and tie?"

Daisuke blushed again before clearing his throat and looked at the group. "Food's ready," he said.

Furukawa chuckled lightly before announcing, "I just need to go to the bathroom. Excuse me," The third Fuji actor moved to the door and left the room.

"There's one over--" Yanagi was cut off when he saw Furukawa leave.

Moriyama looked over to the door. "Eh? Where was he going?"

"To the toilet," Shirota answered.

"Well look who we have here....Furukawa Yuuta." A man said as he spotted Furukawa and stepped in front of him. "Haven't seen you for quite some time..."

Furukawa blinked. "You're...."

The man smiled. "You've forgotten me already? That's such a shame...and here I thought I would have made a lasting mark in your memory," he said slyly as he stepped forward and tucked some stray strands of hair behind Furukawa's ear. "I'll give you a hint," he said as he leaned forward. "...Daisuke..." he whispered into the other man's ear.

Furukawa glared and took a step back. "What are you doing here?" he asked darkly.

Kyou smirked. "Just visiting a friend," he said casually. "But let's not talk about me...you, what's a pretty thing like you doing in a place like this?" he askd as he stepped towards Furukawa again. "Did you come with Daisuke?"

_'What the hell is he thinking...? All of a sudden...'_ Furukawa thought, studying the older brother carefully. "I came with my _fiancé_, yes. Now if you'll excuse me, I don't have time to be talking to you," he stated, taking another step back and reached a hand to the handle of the door.

Kyou frowned and forced Furukawa to turn around before slamming a fist beside his head to block his path. "Fiancé?" he asked with a slight edge in his voice. "You're engaged to him?"

Furukawa kept himself composed and held up his hand where the ring was. "Yes. Do you have a problem with that?" he inquired.

Kyou looked at the ring before grinning. "Of course I do..." he said as he took Furukawa's hand and took the ring, "Because you're supposed to be mine and mine alone," he added huskily before leaning forward and kissing the other boy.

"Hey, wha--" Furukawa's eyes widened as the older man kissed him before he shut his eyes and pushed him away forcefully.

"Playing hard to get, aren't we?" Kyou said before grabbing Furukawa by the wrist. "Looks like you need to realize just who you're dealing with," Kyou snapped as he dragged the actor into a hospital room that was empty. Violently pushing the other inside, he locked the door and took off his coat before advancing on Furukawa.

Takigawa blinked as he turned to the door. "Furukawa-kun's taking quite a while..." he said worriedly. _'I hope nothing happened to him...'_

Moriyama sighed and held out a portion of food to Takigawa again. "I'm sure he can take care of himself. Right, Daisuke?"

"Excuse me a bit, please help yourselves with the food," Daisuke said as he hurriedly went outside. _'Yuuta...where are--'_ he stopped when he saw something shining on the floor. Taking a closer look he was filled with dread when he realized what it was. Quickly retrieving the ring he frantically looked around. "Yuuta..."

Furukawa resisted as much as his strength would allow him. _'No... I won't allow him to...!'_ he thought firmly to himself.

Kyou smirked as held Furukawa down. "Now let's see if you'll still prefer Daisuke after--" he was cut off when the door was forced open.

"YUUTA!!" Daisuke exclaimed, panting slightly at the effort he exerted. Pure rage overtook his senses as he saw what was happening, "Kyou..." he said darkly before grabbing his brother off Furukawa and punching him across the face. "You... _dare_ touch Yuuta...." he growled in anger.

Kyou chuckled as he looked at his younger brother. "And since when did you learn to fight back?" he mocked as he glared at his brother.

Daisuke was about to say something but was cut off when a nurse, who warned to call security, caught their attention.

"This won't be the last time, little brother. This is just the beginning," Kyou warned before walking out of the room, taking his discarded coat on the floor along the way.

Daisuke took a deep breath before going back to Furukawa. "Are you alright?" he asked in worry as he examined his fiancé.

Furukawa nodded shakily before wrapping his arms around Daisuke. "I'm alright..." he muttered into the man's shirt before repeating that phrase and tightened his hold on him.

Daisuke frowned and placed his arms around Furukawa, rubbing his back to help calm him down. He sat down on the bed with him and pulled buck just a bit to take Furukawa's hand. "I believe this belongs here..." he said softly as he placed the ring back on Furukawa's finger.

Furukawa looked down at it and gripped Daisuke's hand. "I'm... sorry for letting my guard down..." he said quietly. "Especially... with him..."

"It's alright...even I don't know where he came from…" he muttered as he kissed Furukawa on the cheek. "Next time he comes around I'll kill him..." he said darkly. "I won't let this happen to you again, Yuuta. I promise."

Furukawa blushed and nodded silently. "Thank you, Daisuke..."

Daisuke pulled Furukawa into another embrace and sighed. _'He just had to appear today of all days...'_ he thought irritably.

Furukawa returned the embrace and brought his head down to the crook of Daisuke's neck.

Daisuke frowned as he held Furukawa and glared at the wall. _'What's bothering me is...why is he after Yuuta...'_ he thought.

"I must admit... This food is delicious..." Takigawa stated after swallowing the last of his share of food.

"We helped with the cake," Shirota put in, raising his hand.

"Because of a bribe, I'd wager?" Takigawa teased, pointing to the case in Shirota's arms.

Shirota blushed and subconsciously hugged the case of the chocolate raisins as Aiba nodded.

Kimeru eyed the case intently. "Chocolate raisins?" he asked.

Shirota turned to Kimeru and nodded, popping a raisin or two into his mouth.

Kimeru eyed the raisins. "Ne... Can I have some?" he asked Shirota, throwing him his best "kicked puppy" expression.

Shirota's eyes widened when he saw Kimeru's expression and looked from his case of raisins and back before looking away and held out the case to Moriyama.

The first Momoshiro actor chuckled and took it and offered it to Kimeru. "Douzo."

Kimeru instantly smiled happily as he took the case and took some of its contents before passing it back to Shirota.

Yanagi frowned. "Wait...isn't he supposed to refrain from eating colored food?" he pointed out.

Takigawa shrugged. "Kimeru never listens to reason when recovering. He has his own natural way of healing..." he explained.

Kimeru nodded happily as he ate one of the small round balls of chocolate.

A few minutes later, Daisuke and Furukawa came back. Yanagi noticed the atmosphere of the two and blinked. "Did something..."

Daisuke looked at Furukawa before shaking his head and leading his fiancé to the couch.

Moriyama took the opportunity to clamp his boyfriend's mouth shut with his hands.

Takigawa furrowed his brows. "Everything okay?" he asked.

Daisuke sighed before looking at the group. "We just saw...my brother…" he said.

Kimeru blinked. "Your brother..? And?" he asked.

Daisuke looked at him. "I haven't seen him since I moved out way back in Senior High," he answered.

"Wait...you moved out in Senior High?" Kimeru asked.

Daisuke mentally slapped himself for forgetting that no one but Furukawa knew about that. "I'll tell you some other time. Long story short, my brother came back and...." he paused as he took Furukawa's hand. "....he wants Yuuta."

"Your brother was involved with those Shizuri boys, wasn't he?" Moriyama inquired his voice serious.

Furukawa's eyes widened and turned to the Momoshiro actor. "How did you..."

"I had to do a lot of research when I was Student Council President too, you know..." he replied.

Takigawa chuckled. "He probably enjoyed digging up information about the students more than anybody else."

Daisuke sighed. "Yes he was involved with Shizuri," he answered truthfully. "He was involved with other things too..."

"Such as...?" Moriyama inquired, taking a seat beside Yanagi, his attention on Daisuke.

Daisuke brought up one finger. "Shizuri high is a school known for an underground market of drugs and prostitution," he said flatly. "He was also the one responsible for various cases of harassment all over town," he said as he brought up another finger. "And finally," he said angrily as he slammed his fist to his thigh. "He's just a spiteful being."

The group fell into stunned silence for a few moments before Takigawa cleared his throat.

"From what I'm gathering with you giving us this type of information, Daisuke... Do you mean to tell us that your brother and those guys from before.... involved you with those things?" he asked slowly.

Daisuke's eyes went wide when Takigawa said that. He immediately looked down and shut his eyes before answering feebly. "Yes...."

"It wouldn't explain why your brother is after Furukawa, but it _does_ explain why you're as you are towards others, at least..." Takigawa said ruefully.

"You don't have to go and tell us everything that happened, Watanabe-kun," Moriyama stated. "Even if just Furukawa-kun knows, that's fine. But if you'd like us to help you figure things out with concerns to your brother, then we need to know most everything that you're willing to tell us to make a valid conclusion of things."

"Honestly, I feel like I'm back in high school with both Moriyama-senpai and Eiji-nii talking so seriously like this..." Shirota chimed in.

Daisuke looked at the group before sighing. "And in the end it's the student council..." he said to help lighten up the mood. He looked at Furukawa and took his hand. "I don't want anything to happen to Yuuta...especially the things that I went through...and that's why..." he paused before taking a deep breath. "...that's why I'm going to tell you everything I know..."

Silence enveloped the room as everyone waited for Daisuke to start.

"My parents.....are really involved in a big ring of....things..." he started. "Ever since I realized what they were doing they wanted me to get involved in their job... and... I'm ashamed to say that that was also the reason why they put me in Mitsukaru while my brother went to Shizuri," he explained. "They wanted me to exploit while I can there...since it's a school for the elite..." he said as he looked at them. "But I found myself unable to...especially when I met the people who would eventually become my friends..."

"The moment that I refused to follow them was when all the trouble started...." he continued with a frown he recalled all the incidents. "My brother was the main player in everything...he forced me to submit to their every beck and call," he explained. "I wasn't able to fight back...and it wasn't until Yuuta convinced me to leave the house was I able to escape their hold... But apparently...now they plan to get back at me for that....with the use of the person I care about the most."

It took a while before anybody could formulate something coherent to respond to Daisuke's words. Eventually, it was Moriyama who spoke. "Then... If that's the case, allow us to help you with dealing with your family, Daisuke-kun. I can use what connections I have with people to put a stop to this," he suggested.

Takigawa nodded. "We surely wouldn't want anything happening to Furukawa-kun, so we will assist you in any way we can."

Aiba looked at Takigawa. "That and Eiji-nii has a good background of the law..." he put in randomly. "I'm sure he can come up with something when the time comes."

Daisuke nodded before bowing his head. "Thank you..." he said quietly.

Kimeru grinned. "Thank us when this is all over, Daisuke," he said.

Daisuke looked up at them and blinked. He smiled and chuckled. "Then I will."

Takigawa smiled over to Aiba and nodded.

Furukawa looked around the room and gripped Daisuke's hand, smiling himself. "We'll make sure to thank you all properly when the time comes, then," he stated.

Kimeru nodded. "Now then..." he started. "Let's talk about that brother of yours."

It was already dark when Daisuke, Furukawa, Shirota and Aiba got back home. The four, after a quick dinner, resigned themselves to their bedrooms for a well deserved sleep.

In one room, the younger pair fell asleep almost instantly, while in the other, things took a more....intimate turn.

Daisuke sighed as he looked at Furukawa's sleeping form. _'Five times...we had to do it FIVE times to knock him out...'_ he thought with a frown as he placed an arm around his fiance. _'But if it was me it would only take him three times....'_ he added in frustration before closing his eyes.

He felt Furukawa shift and he subconsciously pulled him close. _'No one else...'_ he thought. _'I swear…that I will not let anyone else have Yuuta like this...no one else but me....I'll do whatever it takes,'_ he swore to himself as a wave of possessiveness went through him. Kissing the other man on the neck he adjusted his position and allowed himself to be taken by sleep.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED. :D

We look forward to your reviews and possible suggestions. :)


	20. The Climactic Showdown

**Title:** Anything for You

**Author/Artist:** snooperj & Bloodysamurai

**Series/Pairing(s):** TeniMyu; Mainly Takigawa Eiji x Kimeru, Shirota Yuu x Aiba Hiroki & Watanabe Daisuke x Furukawa Yuuta

**Notes:** Here is the 20th chapter entitled **The Climactic Showdown**. Still focusing on the third Tezuka-Fuji pair, the antagonist from the previous chapter, Daisuke's brother Kyou, makes a prominent re-entry into the lives of Watanabe and Furukawa, ultimately causing havoc involving a number of couples with the execution of a most notorious plot. This chapter details the events of March 31 and April 1, 2007. THIS IS THE LAST PLOT OF '**SEASON 1**'.

**A/N:** Sorry for the long wait. These chapters are so long and I have to reread them and make final edits here before actually being able to update. My breaks from the word document disappear so as you can see, I forced the breaks for this chapter. And for reference I added the date so people can have an idea of the timeline. I'll be re-updating the previous chapters to this same format in case you want to read back on them properly. Give me some time as the lengths of each is quite long. -snooperj

**ALSO! None of the authors of this roleplay/fanfic own TeniMyu or the actors, but are mere fangirls of the musical series and corresponding actors we write about. Everything that progresses in the story is the creation of our witty imaginations.

* * *

+++March 31, 2007+++

The following day, Shirota woke up sleepily and sat himself up, rubbing the last of sleep away as he looked around and spotted Aiba still asleep beside him. A sad smile came across his lips. _'To be honest, I miss doing things with you, Hiroki...'_ Shirota thought to himself, glancing momentarily to his leg. _'This better heal soon...'_ he added.

-break-

Downstairs, Daisuke yawned as he transfered the last of the eggs into a plate. Rubbing his eyes sleepily he leaned on the counter, muttering to himself about taking Aiba and Furukawa to the myu practices after lunch. _'I wonder if Shirota would like to come along...'_ he thought with another yawn.

-break-

Furukawa groaned and blinked as he finally allowed himself to wake up. He looked around before pulling the blanket over him. _'Last night...'_ he thought to himself, his mind still fuzzy from the happenings before a chuckle escaped him. "Daisuke better be thankful for then..." he said to himself, abandoning his hold on the blanket and sat himself up on the bed. "He's still got much to learn..." he added in amusement, smiling to himself.

-break-

Daisuke, after setting the table, went upstairs to check on Shirota and Aiba. "Breakfast is ready," he said as he saw the two of them awake.

Aiba nodded sleepily and stretched his arms.

Shirota nodded as he saw Daisuke poke his head into the room. "Hai," he replied, turning to Aiba and gingerly wrapped his arms around him. "Had a good sleep, Hiroki?" he inquired.

Aiba nodded. "Hai..." he said sleepily.

Daisuke nodded at them before heading to the room he shared with Furukawa.

Shirota smiled and kissed Aiba on the cheek from behind before moving to retrieve his crutches. "Let's head down. I'm hungry," he stated happily.

Aiba chuckled before getting off the bed. "I wonder what Watanabe-senpai made this time."

"Something delicious, I'll bet," Shirota stated with a grin as he pushed himself up from the bed and made his way to the door.

Aiba nodded in agreement as he held the door open for Shirota.

-break-

"Good morning, Yuuta," Daisuke said warmly as he moved over to the bed and hugged the Fuji actor.

Furukawa looked over his shoulder to the owner of the arms wrapped around him. "Good morning, Daisuke," he greeted in reply. "I assume breakfast is ready?" he teased.

Daisuke nodded before kissing Furukawa on the shoulder. "Shall we go downstairs?" he asked.

Furukawa nodded and slid off the bed and got to his feet, grabbing hold of Daisuke's hand and pulled him along.

-break-

Once the two couple downstairs, Momo and Echizen scrambled to get to them and squeaked as they went on top of Shirota and Daisuke's heads.

Shirota watched Momo travel up to his head. "Oi, Momo!" he called to the guinea pig as soon as he was settled at the dinner table.

Furukawa chuckled. "The two seem to be enjoying themselves..." he stated before he glanced momentarily to the cage where Tezuka and Fuji were. "Or giving their parents some alone time."

"Either that or Momo is disappointed that we didn't leave him with Kime-nii and Eiji-nii...so he decided to bother us," Shirota suggested.

Daisuke shrugged and allowed Echizen to remain on his head as he sleepily ate his breakfast.

"And the reason why Echizen is on your head?" Furukawa asked.

"He likes my head," Daisuke answered with a shrug, causing Aiba to laugh.

Shirota tried to take Momoshiro out from his head but realized how his efforts were futile and decided to let the guinea pig get settled on his head and proceeded to eat his own breakfast.

"Thinks it's comfortable, does he?" Furukawa asked in contemplation, eyeing Echizen atop Daisuke's bed of hair.

Shirota noticed the look on Furukawa's face. "Someone's thinking about something..." he pointed out slyly.

Daisuke blinked before looking at Furukawa. "What?" he asked.

Echizen squeaked as he stared at Furukawa with his beady eyes.

Furukawa blinked away the look in his eye and shook his head, smiling before returning to finish the rest of his breakfast in silence.

Echizen squeaked once again before scuttling down from Daisuke's arm and going over to Furukawa to nuzzle him.

Daisuke blinked before looking at Echizen who by that time looked content on the Fuji actor's shoulder.

-break-

When breakfast was finally done, Pearl took this as a cue to run up to Furukawa, barking and pawing at his leg.

Furukawa stood with Momo still on his shoulder and looked down at the Yorkshire. "Oh yes. There are also Takigawa's pets to feed," he announced.

"Pearl~" Shirota called, whistling to call the dog's attention.

"I'll feed them~" Aiba volunteered as he raised a hand.

"Finish breakfast first," Daisuke said as he glanced at the injured boy.

Shirota turned his attention to Aiba and nodded, setting his spoon down and leaned towards Aiba and attempted to feed him a spoonful of his breakfast.

Aiba blinked before allowing Shirota to feed him.

Daisuke glanced at them before looking at Furukawa. "What time am I going to pick you two up?" he asked.

Furukawa thought about it for a moment before replying. "Around 4 this afternoon," he replied, looking over to Aiba. "Am I right?"

Shirota grinned at Aiba and held out another spoonful. "Open wide, Hiroki~" he coaxed.

"Mmmhmmm," Aiba answered, unable to talk.

Daisuke nodded. "We'll be by the parking lot, then."

Shirota turned to Daisuke, his eyes shining with delight. "I can come along?" he asked hopefully.

Daisuke nodded. "Of course...I don't like the idea of leaving you here alone," he answered.

Aiba grinned. "That's great~ At least you won't be as bored waiting for Watanabe-senpai to get back."

"Can you stop calling me senpai? Watanabe or Daisuke will do since we're not in High School anymore."

Aiba blinked before shifting. "E-to..."

Shirota turned his gaze away. "I'll find something to do..." he reasoned.

Furukawa chuckled upon seeing Aiba shifting. "Don't worry, Aiba-kun. We know it'll take a while to get used to."

Daisuke reached out and patted Shirota on the head, "You're still coming with me...and that's that," he said.

Aiba blinked and looked at Daisuke. _'He's starting to loosen up, isn't he?'_ he thought.

Shirota closed his eyes as Daisuke patted him, feeling rather awkward before nodding silently in agreement.

Furukawa smiled. "This is really a nice development," he said to himself.

Aiba nodded as he ate the last of his breakfast, "Please excuse me," he said as he stood up and went to feed the animals of the house.

Momo and Echizen squeaked once before scuttling off after him.

Furukawa, who had finished his own breakfast rather early, looked at Shirota's half-eaten plate. "Are you going to finish that?" he inquired.

Shirota looked down at his food and nodded. "Aa..." he replied, fumbling with the fork and spoon for a few moments and continued eating.

-break-

Soon after, the group was really done with breakfast. Daisuke was upstairs taking a shower to wake him up while the other waited downstairs.

"Ne, Furukawa," Aiba started. "Is Watanabe-senpai really going to try out for the myu?" he asked.

Furukawa turned to Aiba and nodded. "Yes, he will," he confirmed with a smile. "He's hoping he gets Tezuka's part for the Seigaku 4th cast along with me."

"He fits the part, you know," Shirota supplied, leaning back on the couch and strumming a few random chords on his guitar.

"I sure wish he'd get the part," Aiba mused. "I'd want to see him act on stage, for one thing."

Shirota smiled to himself at that comment, strumming chords to _Yudan Sezu ni Ikou_. "So would I."

Soon enough Daisuke joined them downstairs. "Ready to go?" he asked as he looked at the group.

Furukawa nodded silently.

Shirota brought his guitar pick up. "I'll stay behind while you go off," he announced. "It'd be just for a few minutes, right?"

Daisuke looked at Shirota before looking at his watch. "It won't take long." he said. "I'll just drop them off and come right back," he said before taking the keys from the holder. "Now let's go before Ueshima-sensei accuses me of holding back his Fuji's."

Furukawa turned to Shirota. "Just stay out of trouble, Shirota-kun," he reminded before leading the way to the door.

Shirota waved his hand over his shoulder. "Hai, hai~"

"See you later, Yuu," Aiba said as he kissed him on the cheek and hurried out the door after Furukawa and Daisuke.

-break-

As soon as the three were gone, Shirota continued strumming random chords again for a few moments. In the silence, he recalled a certain moment in the past when Kimeru had sung Takigawa _'All the Time'_ while the Tezuka and Fuji seiyuus were also present. Shirota looked at his guitar in close examination and frowned.

"I don't think I've had the opportunity to compose a proper song for Hiroki... Somehow, I want to do what Kime-nii did... Eiji-nii asked Kime-nii to write him a song and he did..." Shirota looked over his shoulder to his and Aiba's portrait hanging from the wall. "Is Hiroki hoping for something similar?" he asked himself. "Is he hoping that I do the same without needing to mention it?"

Pearl took this opportunity to approach the contemplating singer and nuzzled his leg that wasn't elevated on the coffee table. Shirota looked at the Yorkshire. "You want me to do it, don't you?" Shirota inquired as Pearl simply barked her response. He smiled and set his guitar down beside him and leaned forward to take the Yorkshire up onto his lap and patted her.

A few minutes later, Daisuke walked back in. "Been busy?" he asked the actor as he hanged the keys back in the holder. "Are you coming with me later?"

Shirota turned to him and nodded. "Aa," he replied.

Daisuke nodded. "Need anything before I head upstairs and take a quick break?" he asked.

Shirota shook his head. "No, I'm fine," the second Tezuka actor reassured him. "You go ahead and take a break."

Daisuke nodded thankfully as he went upstairs. He was going to head straight to the room he shared with Furukawa when an open door caught his attention. Slowly he went inside the room and discovered it was one of the interesting rooms in the Shirota-Aiba household. Looking around the studio room of Shirota and Aiba's house, Daisuke found himself in front of their vast CD collection. Running a finger through them he stopped at a certain CD.

"Best Actor Series..." he read as he pulled it out and looked at the song titles. He looked up and took a quick look around before moving to the door to close it. He then walked over to the CD player and inserted the CD.

Skipping to the track of a certain song, he waited for the melody and started singing along.

_Dare ni datte hitotsu ya futatsu jakuten wa aru  
Dakedo sore wo kabauna Semero tsuyoku nare  
Donna shiai ni datte ichido ya nido PINCH wa kuru  
Dakedo kesshite nigeruna Semero mae wo muke_

_Yararetara bai no chikara wo tsukero  
Kuyahisa uketomete ookiku nare  
Yari kaesu tame ni jibun wo kaero  
Ochikonde iru himanado nai  
Semero tsuyoku nare_

_Itami kanji ha wo kuishibari taeru no wa ii  
Shikashi sore wo miseruna  
Semero me wo hirake  
Haibokushi sou ni nari seppa tsumaru koto mo aru  
Shikashi senaka wo mukero na  
Semero zenshin da  
Semero tsuyoku nare  
Semero tsuyoku nare_

-break-

Shirota set Pearl down and was about to grab his guitar once more when he heard the tune of a familiar song from upstairs. "What the..." he abandoned his guitar and got his crutches and pulled himself up and moved to the foot of the stairs and methodically got up in a quicker manner and stopped in front of the studio room, the door of which was still ajar slightly.

He leaned forward slightly to hear the familiar song that was _Semero, Tsuyoku Nare_ with Daisuke singing along with Shirota's version care of his Best Actor Series. The second Tezuka actore smiled widely at hearing this and quietly pulled the door closed and moved to his and Aiba's room.

"I forgot to mention to Watanabe-senpai that the studio room's door has been stubborn with properly closing if you don't secure it correctly..." he said to himself with a chuckle and pulled out his cellphone and texted a certain someone about what he heard.

-break-

Daisuke, feeling quite satisfied with himself, placed the CD back in it's case after ejecting it from the player. He placed it back properly before looking around the room. "I should construct a place like this back home," he said before leaving the room and heading to the bedroom for a quick nap.

-break-

At practice, Ueshima had called a break and pulled out his cellphone as soon as he felt it vibrate.

_'Found you your Tezuka.  
-Shirotan'_

Ueshima smiled to himself. _'Count on Shirota-kun to chance upon hearing Watanabe-kun's private audition...'_ he thought with a smile and replied his thanks to the singer.

-break-

"Furukawa-kun...someone's looking for you," one of the staff called out from the backstage.

Furukawa, after wiping the sweat from his face with a towel, set it down along with his things. "Hai!" he called out in reply before excusing himself and approached the staff member to escort him to whoever was looking for him.

"Hello, Furukawa Yuuta..." Kyou said with a pleasant smile as he saw the Fuji actor approach.

Furukawa stopped in his tracks when he recognized who it was and abruptly turned on his heel and began making his way back to where the others were._'Why in the world is he here?'_ he asked himself.

"Furukawa-kun...wait," Kyou said as he grabbed the boy's wrist. "I came here to apologize."

Furukawa tried his best not to look back and instead focused on trying to pull his arm away. "I don't have time for this, Watanabe-san... I have to get back to practice..." he stated.

"I'll wait until after your practice, then. Come on Furukawa. Just a drink or two and I'll completely be out of your way." Kyou said with a grin.

-break-

"Furukawa seems to be taking a while..." Aiba said as he looked around the stage where the other cast members were already present.

-break-

Furukawa weighed the odds for a minute or two before successfully pulling his arm away and nodded slowly. "Alright..." he replied and walked away. _'I'll make sure to settle things with you the best way I'll be able to, then...'_ he thought to himself as an afterthought and returned to practice.

"I'll wait for you at the parking area," he called out after him.

Aiba blinked when he saw Furukawa approach. "Something wrong?" he asked.

Furukawa shook his head. "It's nothing..." he replied absentmindedly.

Aiba looked at him before glancing at his watch. "Maybe you're just excited to see Watanabe-senpai again," he teased lightly. "Even if it's only just an hour since we last saw him."

Furukawa blushed slightly and waved his hands in front of him. "You misunderstand, Aiba-kun. Really... it's nothing."

"If~ you~ say~ so~" Aiba chimed as he went over the side of the stage where Ueshima was looking over their positioning for a certain number.

Practice went by quickly and soon the cast were on their way home.

Kyou waited at the parking lot, looking around just in case.

-break-

"Are you coming this time, Shirota-kun?" Daisuke asked as he jogged downstairs. "I'll be picking the Fujis up."

Shirota, who had sneaked back downstairs while Daisuke was still asleep, settled himself back on the couch and strummed his guitar, thinking of a good song before looking over his shoulder as the other man returned from his nap. He nodded brightly. "Aa!" he said with much enthusiasm, set his guitar down and grabbed hold of his crutches.

Daisuke nodded and held open the door for the boy before assisting him in the car.

Shirota expertly maneuvered his way out the door and to the backseat of the car.

-break-

Furukawa, after managing to slip away from Aiba's line of vision, headed out to the parking lot to meet with Watanabe Kyou.

Aiba looked around. "A-re? Where is he?" he said with a frown. "Watanabe-senpai will be arriving in a few minutes..."

-break-

Kyou smiled as he held open the door of the passenger side open, "Don't worry, I won't bite," he said.

Furukawa glared over to Kyou but said nothing and slipped into the passenger's seat of the car.

A few minutes later, Daisuke and Shirota arrived at the theater. As soon as they were inside, Daisuke looked around with a frown, "Where's Yuuta?" he asked.

Aiba approached and looked down. "E-to...he sort of disappeared as soon as we were done..." he said.

"Disappeared?"

"You have no idea where he went off to?" Shirota inquired.

-break-

Kyou pulled up at one of the bars in the area. "This place is quite known, Furukawa-kun...so don't worry about the ambiance," he said as he got down from the car.

Furukawa eyed the place as he stepped out from the car. "I'm not worried about that..." he stated. '_It would be awkward to explain this later on, though...'_he thought to himself, his gaze shifting to Kyou. _'Especially with someone like you...'_ he added as an afterthought.

Kyou smiled, before raising his hands. "I have no intention of poisoning you whatsoever," he said in defense before leading Furukawa inside to the bar.

"Am I right to assume that I shall be ordering for you as well?"

-break-

Daisuke pulled out his phone to text Furukawa.

_'Where are you? We're already here,'_ he typed before sending it.

"Wait here," he said before spotting the director. "Excuse me...Ueshima-sensei?" he called out before walking towards him.

-break-

Furukawa felt his phone vibrate and nodded. "I'll just go use the washroom..." he stated, excusing himself and heading to the bathroom, closed the door behind him and fished out his phone from his pocket. He read the message from Daisuke and hesitated to reply. His hand was practically trembling before he punched in a reply:

_'I needed to attend to something on my own. I'll meet you all back in Shirota and Aiba's place later tonight, I guess.'_

-break-_  
_

Ueshima turned to Daisuke and smiled brightly, patting him on the shoulder. "Ah, Watanabe-kun~" he chimed. "Glad I caught you here. I wanted to tell you something." The director paused before adding, "But did you want to ask me something?"

"Yes, I was wondering if you saw-" he was cut off when he felt his phone vibrate, "Please excuse me..." he said as he flipped it open and read Furukawa's message. He sighed before pocketing the device and looking at Ueshima. "It's been resolved..." he said. "You were saying, sensei?" he asked.

Ueshima's smile was still very much in place. "I'll be the first to let you know that you'll be my 4th cast Tezuka," he stated simply, patting him on the shoulder once more.

Daisuke stood there stunned as he looked at the director. "B-But I haven't auditioned yet...let alone pass my application form," he said.

Aiba looked over to them and chuckled. "Look at how flustered he is," he told Shirota.

Shirota grinned.

Ueshima chuckled. "Well, I had asked someone to audition you on my behalf. He's got a good ear for talent, being a Tezuka himself once before," he said.

Daisuke took a cautious look at the Tezuka-Fuji pair behind him. "Shirota..." he muttered before looking at Ueshima-sensei again. He bowed to the director. "Thank you, sensei. I'll work hard when the time comes."

Ueshima nodded. "I look forward to it, Watanabe-kun."

-break-

Kyou nodded and waved at Furukawa before ordering for the two of them. When the drinks arrived, he took a quick look around and smirked as he brought out a small packet from his pocket and poured its contents in Furukawa's drink. Sliding the glass to the side and taking a sip on his own drink, he hummed happily to himself.

Furukawa returned to the bar and spotted his drink and sat himself down with Kyou. "What was it you wanted to talk about, then?" he inquired.

Kyou turned his attention to him. "I just wanted to apologize for my behavior a few days back, offer a truce and perhaps get to know my brother's fiancé a bit more," he said casually as he took another sip of his drink.

"And you honestly think I can forgive you so easily after what you did, let alone agree to a truce with you?" Furukawa replied bluntly.

"Bluntly...yes," Kyou answered as he gestured to Furukawa's drink. "Are you going to drink that? It'd be such a waste if you don't," he said. "Look at it this way, Furukawa-kun. I offer a truce and most probably wouldn't bother you and Daisuke again. Wouldn't you prefer that to me hunting you two down and constantly harassing you?" he added casually.

"You know, 'most probably' is not as reassuring," Furukawa pointed out, still not touching his drink.

-break-

Shirota waved casually to Daisuke as he looked their way.

Daisuke nodded and smiled gratefully before excusing himself to get back to Shirota and Aiba. "How did you do it?" he asked the former Tezuka actor.

Shirota raised his eyebrows. "What are you talking about?" he inquired, mock innocence evident in his features.

Daisuke crossed his arms. "Audition me on Ueshima-sensei's behalf?" he said.

Shirota chuckled. "I never mentioned that the studio door in our house is never completely closed until you make sure of it yourself," he explained simply.

Daisuke blinked before placing his hand to cover his mouth as he felt his cheek heat up. "Y-You heard that?" he stuttered.

Shirota smiled and patted Daisuke on the shoulder. "You'll make a great Tezuka Kunimitsu, Watanabe-senpai."

Daisuke sighed. "Who knows..." he said before looking around. "Let's head back...Yuuta will be in late. He said he needed to attend to something."

"Hai~" Shirota chimed.

-break-

"Then how about this: I promise to leave you two alone and stop harassing you starting tonight?" he offered.

_'Well, that still sounds unlikely...'_ Furukawa thought to himself. "And how sure am I you're going to stick to your word?" he asked.

"I'm not doing anything to you now, am I?" he asked with a grin. "And we both know I have to opportunity to."

Furukawa held up the untouched drink. "Yes. Like this opportunity, perhaps?"

"I don't know what you mean Furukawa-kun," he said smoothly.

"For all I know you drugged this with something," Furukawa pointed out.

Kyou burst out laughing. "You really think I'd do that?" he said as he calmed himself down. "Should I prove to you that I didn't then?"

Furukawa held out his drink to Kyou. "Go right ahead."

Kyou sighed before reaching for the glass and drinking from it. "Satisfied?" he said before handing it back to Furukawa. "You don't see me hacking and choking, do you?"

"Slipping something into a drink doesn't necessarily mean that you poisoned it. There's the possibly of one that makes you sleepy, you know," Furukawa pointed out, not wanting to put the matter to rest until he was completely convinced.

"You don't see of the symptoms on me, do you?" Kyou challenged, slightly leaning back. "Come now, Furukawa-kun. Trust me a little."

"I wouldn't trust you simply because of what you did. More so when you're my fiancé's brother," Furukawa defended.

"Fine then, you prefer doing this the hard way," Kyou said as he stood up and snapped his fingers. He smirked when two men approached them and placed a piece of cloth over the actor's nose and mouth. "Sleep well, Furukawa-kun." Kyou smirked as he caught Furukawa before his head hit the table. "Take him to the car," he ordered the men. _'This should put a halt in Daisuke's foolishness...'_

-break-_  
_

As soon as Daisuke, Shirota and Aiba returned back to their house, Shirota went to Q, claiming that he wanted to play with the rabbit for Takigawa's sake. He sat himself down on the floor after picking Q from his cage and played with him.

Daisuke went and prepared their dinner in the kitchen, his gaze shifting to the phone he placed on the counter every now and then. "Yuuta...I do hope you know what you're doing…"

_'That reminds me of something...'_ Aiba thought to himself as he pulled out his phone.

-break-

At the hospital, Yanagi answered his phone. "A-re? Wait a minute, I'll get him for you," he said as he handed his phone to Takigawa. "Phone patch, it's Aibacchi," he said.

Takigawa blinked and took Yanagi's phone. "Domo." He brought it to his ear. "Something wrong, Aibacchi?" he inquired.

"Eiji-nii!" he exclaimed. "You never told me Kime-nii's real name even after we graduated from Mitsukaru!" he told him with a pout.

Takigawa blinked, recalling for a moment that conversation he and Aiba had long ago before he chuckled, averting his gaze to Kimeru's sleeping form. "After waiting this whole time, I'm sure you can wait a little longer, Aibacchi," he replied.

Aiba pouted. "No Faa-"

"Aiba! Shirota! Dinner's on the table!" Daisuke cut off from the dining room.

The Fuji actor sighed. "Alright, Eiji-nii...you win this time," he said before saying his goodbyes and ending the call.

-break-

A few hours has passed since then. Daisuke found himself on the dining table, occasionally looking at the clock.

_'Yuuta...where are you?'_ he thought with a frown as he sipped his tea.

-break-

Furukawa, still a little dizzy, finally reached Shirota and Aiba's house and stumbled onto the front door. Composing himself as best as he could, he pushed open the door and peeked inside, half-expecting Daisuke to be there.

Hearing the door open, Daisuke immediately looked up from his laptop. "Yuuta?" he called out as he hurriedly stood and rushed over to him. "Are you alright? Where have you been?" he asked as he took Furukawa's arm and placed it on his shoulders to help support the actor.

Furukawa, fatigued, brought his other hand to his head. "I'm... a little dizzy... Can I lie down, Daisuke?" he pleaded silently.

Daisuke looked at him worriedly. "Alright..." he said quietly before leading Furukawa upstairs. Once in their shared room, he gently had him lie down. "Wait for a while," he said before rummaging through the closet to get some clean clothes. "I'm not letting you sleep in that…" he muttered before helping the other to change. After doing so, he merely threw the actor's clothes to the hamper and turned off the lights. With a sigh, he lay down beside Furukawa and held him, his mind racing through the possibilities of what might have happened.

Furukawa shifted uneasily and inched closer to the warmth of Daisuke's body, wanting to stay there forever in his fiancé's arms. The fourth Fuji actor's mind was still blurred and confused with everything, but he was physically and mentally tired to think of anything else and decided to let sleep overtake him.

When he felt Furukawa's breathing even out, Daisuke sighed again before finding a more comfortable position and fell asleep right after.

+++April 1, 2007+++

The next morning, Daisuke was the one who woke up first among the residents of the house. Slowly getting up, careful not to wake his lover, he got out of bed and stretched before making his way downstairs to prepare their breakfast. The way Furukawa looked last night when he got back home was still clear in his mind as he went downstairs. Making a quick round to make sure the household pets were still inside, he went outside to get the morning paper.

Pearl barked happily as he went back inside. "Yes yes. Go on outside," he said as he went towards the back door to open it so that the dog could go outside. He placed the paper on the dining table for a while to heat some water he could use for the coffee and returned to it while waiting for the whistle of the kettle. "Now let's see what-"

Whatever he was about to say was cut off as a certain picture in the front page caught his attention. "It can't be..." he muttered before hurriedly looking for the entertainment section and flipped it eyes went wide when he saw the feature article.

One whole page was covered half with pictures of his brother and Furukawa going in two establishments, one was a bar...and the other made Daisuke's blood run cold. It was a hotel. Shaking his head, he fixed the other parts of the paper but left that certain section out with the page open to that article. "There must be a logical explanation for this..." he muttered.

-break-

Furukawa woke up, sitting up and rubbed his eyes sleepily. He looked around to find that Daisuke was up and out of bed. _'So he's already awake...'_ he thought and moved to head downstairs, assuming that his lover was preparing breakfast. He descended the stairs and moved to the dining room. "Ohayou..." he greeted.

Daisuke looked at Furukawa, not able to say anything and merely pushed the paper towards the actor.

Furukawa was halfway into taking a seat across him when his eyes caught the paper. Seeing what was on it, he practically fell onto the chair, his eyes widening in realization and grabbed the paper, looking at the article before lowering it and looking over to Daisuke. The actor sighed and looked away. "Your brother came to practice yesterday afternoon..." he began.

Daisuke frowned. "Did he do anything to you?" he demanded. "Did he touch you?"

Furukawa shook his head. "He wanted us to have a few drinks, talk and that was that. That's where I went... After that..." he trailed off, meeting Daisuke's eyes. "I was knocked out with chloroform, so I have no recollection of the rest of the night before I got home..." he explained, flipping the paper around, pushed it across the table to Daisuke and pointed to the picture in front of the hotel. "I woke up in a room with him and immediately ran off back here... So I don't really know..."

Daisuke nodded before standing up. "Yuuta..." he started before walking towards the other and placing his arms around him. "I won't let you out of my sight again..." he said. "No matter what."

Furukawa closed his eyes and returned the gesture, nodding wordlessly.

-break-

Aiba yawned as he went downstairs to check if there was breakfast and halted abruptly when he saw the little moment in the dining room. Quickly but silently he retraced his steps back to the bedroom to avoid disrupting the two.

Shirota yawned, stretching his arms over his head and felt around the bed to grab a random plushie and cuddled it. Blinking, he held it up to find the Aiba plushie in his hands. Frowning, he looked to his side to see that Aiba was gone. Shirota rubbed his eyes sleepily, trying to stifle another yawn.

Arriving back in the room, Aiba hopped back on the bed. "TezukaFuji moment in action downstairs," he told Shirota happily.

Shirota sat up. "Really?" he asked excitedly.

"Mhmm...Saw Watanabe-senpai stand up and suddenly hug Furukawa," Aiba explained.

Shirota set down the Aiba plushie and moved forward to hug Aiba as well.

Aiba blinked before smiling and hugged Shirota back. "I wonder where Furukawa went last night..." he thought.

-break-

Echizen scampered over to Furukawa's feet and squeaked while placing his front paws on his leg. Daisuke pulled away from the actor and picked up the small animal. "Look. Even he was worried about you," he said.

As if agreeing, Echizen jumped on Furukawa's shoulder and nuzzled him.

Furukawa smiled slightly and let the guinea pig nuzzle him before looking back to Daisuke. "Gomen... For making you worry..." he apologized.

Daisuke shook his head. "It doesn't matter," he told him. "What's important here is that you're safe." Moving to take Echizen from Furukawa, he stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed something. "What the..." he said. "Don't move." Using a finger to pull down the collar of Furukawa's shirt, Daisuke discovered a small circular bruise on the other's neck. _'That bastard...'_ he thought darkly.

Furukawa blinked. "Eh?" he inquired, seeing the dark look in Daisuke's features. He groaned and massaged his eyes. "He left a mark... didn't he?"

Daisuke nodded grimly. "I'm going to go make breakfast...you just sit there, alright?" he said before moving to the kitchen. "Bacon sound good?"

Echizen, being placed back on Furukawa's shoulder, moved on top of the bruise and settled there contently.

Furukawa nodded. "Sounds good," he said with a smile.

Daisuke frowned as he prepared breakfast, thinking about a lot of things.

-break-

It was still the early hours of morning; a knock came to the door at the hospital.

Yanagi, noticing that everyone was still asleep, went to answer the door. "Yes?" he asked as he opened the door, not recognizing the person on the other side.

"Takigawa Eiji and Kimeru?" the man asked.

"Asleep inside..." was Yanagi's reply.

The man nodded, "Can you please hand this to them, then?" he asked as he gave Yanagi an envelope.

Yanagi nodded. "Alright," he said. And with a bow, the man left.

-break-

In Daisuke and Furukawa's room, the latter's phone started to ring. On the screen, an unknown number was displayed.

Furukawa, who had sharp ears, was stroking Echizen before he heard the distinct ringtone of his phone as he got to his feet. "I think I hear my phone upstairs in the room... I'll be right back," he announced before heading upstairs, into their room - which was Shirota's old room - and picked up his phone and blinked. "A-re?" _'An unknown number...'_

Kyou smirked one the other picked up the line. "Furukawa-kun…" he said as a greeting. "Why'd you leave so early? We were having so much fun..." he said.

Furukawa sub-consciously brought a hand over the mark on his neck, narrowing his eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about," he stated bluntly and hung up the phone.

"Oh is that so..." Kyou said before sending a picture of last night to the actor. He waited for a full minute before calling him again. "Still don't know what I'm talking about? Or perhaps you want me to send that to Daisuke."

Furukawa gripped on the phone he kept to his ear. "You have absolutely no right to do what you want. Especially when I've already decided to be with Daisuke," he spat.

"You really think I have no right?" Kyou repeated. "We'll see about that." Glancing at the watch he grinned. "I'll see you after your practice today then, _Yuuta._" And with that he ended the call with Furukawa before dialing a number he acquired last night.

Furukawa's eyes widened and pulled the phone back as Kyou hung up on him. He found himself trembling. _'That guy...'_ he thought to himself, wrapping his arms around himself and sank to his knees.

-break-

"Good morning is this Ueshima-sensei?" Kyou asked. "I'm proposing a sponsorship for your musical."

Ueshima picked up the phone and cleaned his other ear out with his little finger. "Sponsorship?" he repeated. "Sorry, but I'm not really interested."

Kyou frowned. "I'm quite surprised...may I know why you're declining?"

"Why? Because I don't need to give my actors any more publicity than they already have. Everything is all good and able without your contribution," Ueshima replied bluntly.

"I see," Kyou said before doing some quick thinking. "You see Ueshima-sensei, I'm quite interested in one of your actors and thought it would be possible to recruit him through you."

Ueshima blinked. He closed his eyes and leaned back on his seat. "I'm not a talent agency, so I have no business allowing anybody to recruit my actors without consulting their managers or for some, their fiancés," the director explained.

"It seems that you do not understand, Ueshima-sensei," Kyou said. "This talent of yours is kind of hard to acquire." He leaned back and browsed the pictures he took of Furukawa. "And I'm sure he'll listen to you."

"A few of them are quite hard-headed and particular with whom they work with," Ueshima replied. "If it's anyone who misunderstands, it's you. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to make preparations for this afternoon," he added before curtly hanging up.

Kyou frowned as he stared at the phone. "Looks like I have to pull some strings."

-break-

Daisuke, having done with making breakfast went upstairs to call Shirota and Aiba down. After making sure that the two heard him, he went to check on Furukawa. "Yuuta-" he was cut off when he saw him trembling. "Yuuta!" he exclaimed before rushing to him and pulling him to his arms. "What's wrong?"

"Your... Your brother..." was all Furukawa whispered, burying his face onto his lover's shirt.

Daisuke frowned, "Kyou..." he said before spotting Furukawa's phone. _'He's up to something isn't he...'_ he thought as he reached for the device. He examined the phone, still holding Furukawa, and looked at the screen. His eyes widened when he saw the image that was still on the screen.

Shirota moved to the stairs before stopping when he saw Daisuke and Furukawa in their room. "Hiroki..." he called, nudging his head in the direction of the pair.

Aiba frowned as he peeked inside. "I wonder what's going on..." he said quietly.

-break-

Moriyama woke up with a stiff neck and turned to Yanagi. "Did someone come by?" he asked with a yawn.

Yanagi nodded. "Yeah...a strange guy who wanted me to give this envelope to Takigawa and Kimeru..." he said. "I think it's from Kimeru's manager."

-break-

"Ueshima-sensei! We have a problem!" One of the staff members said in panic as soon as Ueshima answered the phone about half an hour after Kyou's call.

Ueshima frowned. "Calm down. Now what is it?" he inquired, getting to his feet and crossed the room to grab his bag.

"The theater manager came a while ago and told us that the TeniMyu can't go on! He said something about companies and contacts that I didn't understand!" the staff explained.

"That's impossible..." Ueshima muttered to himself before a thought came to him. _'Don't tell me...'_ He gritted his teeth. "I'll sort things out," he said and hung up, leaving his house as he returned to his call history redialed a number that called him earlier.

Kyou smirked when he saw who was calling, "Changed your mind, Ueshima-sensei?" he asked calmly.

"Of course not," the director stated. "You had something to do with cancelling our show, didn't you, _Watanabe-kun_?" Ueshima inquired.

Kyou chuckled. "May I ask what gave me away?" he inquired. "And since you know who I am, I assume that you know full well what needs to be done if you want your musical to push through."

"Nothing, really," Ueshima admitted. "I have a habit of being updated with my actors, and when something's off I take the time to look into it," he explained. "And I'm afraid it will take more than your little schemes to get Furukawa-kun to look your way."

"Your loss, Ueshima. If you haven't noticed, your group is at a disadvantage here. Where will you move the myu?" he challenged. "Or perhaps you, Yuuta and Daisuke would prefer that a few people start disappearing before you give in."

"It's not the matter of moving it at all, Watanabe-kun. It's just dealing with _you_ that we have to worry about," Ueshima said slyly, his mind already writing up a plan. "I don't think it'll be too difficult now that I think about it."

"You seem confident about it all, Ueshima," Kyou said. "We'll see where that takes you," he challenged before hanging up and looked at the men in the room.

"I think Kimeru and Takigawa are ready for pick up," he told them.

Ueshima lowered his phone and sighed. "He's trouble..." he muttered before heading out of his house and got into his car and speed-dialed Shirota.

-break-

Shirota, who was peeking with Aiba, straightened up and fiddled with his phone that started ringing. "Gah!" he exclaimed before grabbing it and answering it. "Hello?"

"_Shirota-kun. How's Furukawa-kun and Daisuke-kun?_ Ueshima inquired.

"They're just fine. Safe and sound..." Shirota replied.

"And Takigawa-kun and Kimeru-kun?"

"In the hospital still with Moriyama-senpai and Yanagi-kun. Why?"

"I'll get in touch with Moriyama-kun, then. I need to know how they're doing. Thanks, Shirota-kun!" the director said before hanging up.

Daisuke frowned when he heard the sound, "You might as well come in...It's your house," he told the two at the door.

"We've been found out," Aiba said.

-break-

Yanagi yawned as he stretched. "Think I should get us something to eat?" he asked.

Moriyama nodded as he got to his feet. "Yeah, I gue-" he paused when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket as he fished it out. "Eh? Ueshima-sensei..." He answered the call and brought the phone to his ear.

_"Moriyama-kun, I need you to not let Kimeru-kun and Takigawa-kun out of your sight. Do you hear me?"_ the director bellowed over the phone.

Moriyama held the phone back for a moment before bringing it back. "I understand, Ueshima-sensei."

Ueshima drove off to the studio while placing another call to a certain other Tezuka actor.

Yanagi blinked. "Something wrong?" he asked, his hand on the door knob.

Kimeru yawned and looked around before remembering where he was. "Can't we go home yet?" he mumbled sleepily.

Moriyama lowered his phone. "It was Ueshima-sensei. Told us not to leave these two alone," he explained to Yanagi, jerking a thumb towards the two bed-ridden actors.

"Whyzzat?" Kimeru asked as he slowly sat up, wincing as he did so.

Yanagi looked at the two. "Well...it's Ueshima-sensei...he usually knows best so I guess...'follow now ask later'," he quoted.

It was then that a knock was heard on the door.

Takigawa groaned as he opened his eyes. "If that isn't a nurse or doctor checking up on us..." he muttered darkly, glaring at the door.

Moriyama turned to Takigawa. "Honestly, what are the chances of that happening?" he scoffed.

"It happened with me before, didn't it?" the Tezuka actor fired back immediately.

Immediately the door was opened and 5 men stepped inside. "Kimeru and Takigawa Eiji..."Kyou said as he entered right after them. "It's a pleasure to meet you both in person." He looked at Moriyama and Yanagi at the side and smirked. "Company?" he asked.

Moriyama's eyes widened, recognizing the man who spoke before he glared dangerously at him. "Watanabe Kyou... Am I right?"

"What?" Takigawa stated, his eyes snapping open to full attention.

"This guy... is Daisuke's brother," Moriyama explained. "What do you want?"

Kyou gestured casually to Takigawa and Kimeru, "Them..." he said with a smile. "Now if you'll just step aside so that things won't be harder than they already are..."

"No way!" Yanagi said as he stepped in between them.

Kyou signalled to one of his men who pilled out a gun and aimed it at Yanagi. "Step aside kid..." he said.

Moriyama pulled out a gun that he still had with him and aimed it at Kyou. "Don't even think about it."

Takigawa blinked. "You still have that?" he exclaimed.

Immediately five other guns were brought out and pointed at Moriyama. "And just for that I'm taking this one too," Kyou said as he gestured to a man who took hold of Yanagi.

"Hey! Let go!" Yanagi complained.

-break-

Minami glared at the men as he wiped away the blood on the corner of his mouth.

"Minami-kun!" various staff members called out as they approached him.

"Dammit...what the hell do they want with Doori..." the Tezuka actor cursed as he stood up, wincing slightly as he did so.

-break-

_'We should really get that lock replaced,'_ Aiba thought darkly as he stepped back into the room with Furukawa, glaring at the men blocking their way.

Daisuke and Shirota were held at gun point in front of them and they didn't have much of a choice but to follow.

-break-

Kyou's phone vibrated. Pulling it out and reading the message inside, he smirked. "Your friends are already waiting. I just need two more to add to the collection," he said as he eyes Kimeru and Yanagi.

Moriyama was seething but reluctantly lowered his gun. "Don't you _dare_ hurt him!" he threatened.

Takigawa gritted his teeth, wincing as he brought a hand to his healing shoulder. "What in the world are you planning?" Takigawa demanded.

"Plan?" Kyou said, "My only plan is to get my brother's head on a silver platter and take what's mine," he said with a shrug before leaving the room, followed by his men who had took both Kimeru and Yanagi with them.

"Kimeru!" Takigawa called out, pulling off whatever was wired to him and got off the bed.

"Oi, Takigawa!" Moriyama said in alarm, restraining the man from advancing. "Calm down!"

"How do you expect me to calm down when they just took Kimeru like that! And Yanagi too!" Takigawa practically yelled; all patience and sanity gone from the Tezuka actor.

Moriyama sighed. "I know... I'm angry as well... But you have to take your own health into consideration as well!" he rebutted seriously.

-break-

Shirota was on the floor, his leg aching when he had crashed to the floor. _'Dammit... Of all the times I still have to be injured like this...'_ he thought bitterly to himself.

"Start walking..." One of the men said as he pushed Furukawa forward, another dragging Aiba by his uninjured arm. "If you still want to see them, come alone when Watanabe Kyou calls for you," he told Daisuke as he passed.

The other man kept his gun pointed at Daisuke and Shirota until they were out of the house.

Shirota pushed himself off the floor with difficulty. "Ku-so... They took Hiroki... And Furukawa-senpai too..." he muttered, getting to his good foot before grabbing onto Daisuke's shirt. "Watanabe-senpai..." he stated with a shaky voice. "What the hell's going on...?" There was genuine confusion in Shirota's tone. "Hiroki... Even Hiroki was taken by those men..."

"Kyou..." Daisuke said. "This is all Kyou's doing," he said angrily before pulling out his phone and calling Moriyama. "Moriyama-senpai! Are the two alright there?" he asked frantically.

Moriyama, used to people yelling through the phone, kept it to his ear. "No... Kimeru and Yanagi were taken..." he said after managing to calm Takigawa down.

-break-

With Minami not answering his phone, Ueshima stepped on the gas and rushed to the theater. Parking quickly, he hopped out and sprinted off to the practice area and threw the doors open. "Where's Minami?" he barked before spotting him and approached the Tezuka actor. "What happened?" he questioned, spotting the blood.

"Some men..." Minami said as he caught his breath. "Barged in and took Doori," he explained. "They took him without telling us what they wanted with him or why they were taking him."

Ueshima frowned. "Now's not the time to be moping..." he began, taking Minami by the shoulders. "I need a favor, Minami-kun…concerning your family. We may be up against something big this time and it will not be enough if we jump into it alone," he explained.

Minami nodded immediately. "Tell me exactly what you need, Ueshima-sensei," he said as he dialed his father's number.

"I need them to make a quick search for a man named Watanabe Kyou and deal with him and his men as thoroughly as they could," Ueshima dictated. "Sakurada might not be the only one they took, though..." The director's eyes widened in sudden realization and pulled out his phone and called Shirota.

-break-

"Kime-nii!" Aiba exclaimed as soon as the singer was brought in the van with them. "You bastard! Kime-nii isn't well enough to be taken out of the hospital! Do you realize what you're doing?"

"And do you realize who you're talking to?" Kyou asked from the passenger side.

Kimeru tried his best to focus on the situation and ignore his injuries for the meantime. "Watanabe Kyou...just what the hell are you planning?" he hissed.

"Easy. I'll make easy money from all of you..." Kyou answered as he looked at the group. "All except you." he said as he looked at Furukawa.

"What? What do you want with Furukawa?" Yanagi snapped.

"Everything that he can give," Kyou answered.

-break-

Shirota sank back to the floor, unable to keep himself up before bringing his phone up to answer it. "Hai?"

_"Shirota-kun. How are thi-"_

"Some men came here and took Hiroki and Furukawa-senpai, Ueshima-sensei..." Shirota immediately interjected. "And I'm more than willing to get them back."

_"But your condition is still-"_

"I don't care! They took Hiroki from me without a damn explanation and I want to see to it that I get him back!" Shirota practically yelled through the phone.

-break-

Ueshima blinked. _'Well, you can't beat love with that kind of conviction...'_ he admitted. "If that's the case, then you need to get yourself to the theater right away, Shirota-kun," Ueshima stated more calmly, catching Shirota off-guard before hanging up.

Shirota blinked and pulled his phone back. "That was a strange change of attitude..." Shirota admitted and turned to Daisuke. "Watanabe-senpai... What about Eiji-nii and Kime-nii?"

-break-

Furukawa glared at Kyou and looked away. "You're dreaming if you think I'll oblige to what you want," he spat.

Sakurada frowned. _'Let's hope Keisuke can get his family to help out with this... And fast...'_ he thought to himself.

Kyou smirked as he brandished his gun. "Who said I was giving you an option to decline?" he asked slyly. "I don't think you're seeing the whole picture here, _Yuuta_. If you decline, I can kill your friends here one by one," he explained calmly. "Or...I can let my men have them to break them in."

The group instantly felt dread.

Kimeru looked at Aiba in worry as the younger boy went pale, suddenly reminded of what had happened before.

Yanagi managed to pull a straight face and glared at Kyou. "What makes you think that no one will come after you?" he challenged.

"Let them come, but don't blame me if I 'accidentally' pull the trigger," Kyou answered as he pointed the gun at Sakurada.

Sakurada stared at the barrel of the gun. "You won't succeed," he stated boldly.

Furukawa felt his heart skip a beat. _'Daisuke... I'm beginning to understand how you feel about your brother...'_ he thought to himself.

Minami, after calling his father and hastily explaining the situation, faced the director. "Father's going to send a dispatch to pick us up, is there anyone that will be coming with us?" he asked.

"Yes, there will be," Ueshima answered.

Minami nodded and continued talking to his father. "The dispatch will be here in less than five minutes."

-break-

Takigawa took the phone from Moriyama. "What about you guys over there? What's the situation?" he asked.

"They have Aiba and Furukawa," Daisuke answered heatedly, before looking at Shirota and applied some critical thinking based on the boy's expression. "We're going to the theater right now and meet with Ueshima-sensei, I think he has a plan. Are you coming with us?" he asked before grabbing his wallet and license and jamming them in his pockets.

A cold feeling went down Takigawa's spine hearing that even Aiba and Furukawa were taken. "We'll meet you there," he replied, ending the call and turned to Moriyama. "We need to head to the theater right now to meet with Ueshima-sensei," he explained.

"Save explanations for later, right?" Moriyama stated lightly, grabbing his keys and wallet and helped Takigawa to the car.

-break-

"Let's get going already!" Shirota stated as soon as he saw Daisuke end the call.

Daisuke looked at Shirota for a while before carrying the boy, mindful of his injury. "It's faster this way," he merely said. "Grab your crutches, will you," he added before moving downstairs to get the car.

"Oi! Don't carry me all of a sudden!" Shirota exclaimed before managing to grab his crutches along the way.

-break-

Kyou looked at them. "Quite a brave bunch we have here," he said before gazing over the five. "Let's see how long you can keep that brave face of yours."

Kimeru gritted his teeth. _'Daisuke was right about his brother being such a hateful being...'_ he thought bitterly.

-break-

Less than five minutes later, the entire group was assembled at the theater.

"We have a track on them!" Minami yelled from the corner.

"Let's not talk and just move!" Daisuke barked.

Minami jumped in surprise and nodded. "The van's by the backstage entrance. Let's go."

Ueshima nodded, assisting Shirota to the van. "Let's get going then."

Moriyama helped Takigawa as well. "They better not have done anything to Kotaro..." The Momoshiro actor stated darkly.

-break-

The hostages minus Furukawa were all placed in one room, guarded by two men both inside and out the entrance.

"We have to find a way to get out of here. Furukawa's left alone with that...that..." Yanagi trailed off.

"Don't even dare try cursing if you can't Yanagi," Kimeru said as he glanced at the guards. "Any ideas?"

Aiba looked around the room. "We could distract them," he suggested,

"With what?" Kimeru asked.

Aiba grinned. "Remember what we did last Christmas?" he said.

Sakurada looked at the group. "I don't get what you guys are trying to do, but I hope it works," he put in.

-break-

Kyou grinned as he looked at Furukawa who was tied up on his bed. "Struggle and the people in the other room die one by one," he reminded him as he brought up a hand to stroke the actor's cheek. "It's such a shame that my brother can have you all to himself."

Furukawa shut his eyes and turned away from the man, disgusted by his touch. "Well, it's him that I love... Not you..."

"I don't need you to love me to be able to do what I want with you, Yuuta," Kyou said smugly as he straddled the actor. "Now let's try and get you to remember what happened last night, shall we?"

Furukawa kept his eyes shut. "Don't call me that..." he said.

"Call you what?" Kyou said as he leaned down, his hands running down Furukawa's sides. _"Yuuta?"_ he whispered before forcing the actor to look towards him before kissing him.

Furukawa shrunk away before he tried with all his might to resist the kiss. _'No... I don't want this... Daisuke... Daisuke...'_ he thought helplessly.

-break-

Aiba and Kimeru smirked in victory, giving each other a high five as the four guards groaned and clutched their nether parts as they keeled on the ground.

"I never want to see that again..." Yanagi muttered as the group ran out.

"Go ahead...I just need...to...catch my breath," Kimeru said as he leaned on the wall.

"We're not leaving anyone behind, Kimeru!" Yanagi exclaimed.

"I can carry you," Sakurada offered.

Kimeru shook his head. "No I-"

"Just carry him already!" Aiba argued as he heard footsteps approach. "Yanagi, you know how to handle these right?" he asked as he handed a gun to the older Echizen actor.

Yanagi looked at it before hesitantly taking it. "Sure but...I don't think I'll be of much use," he told them with a frown.

Aiba shook his head. "It doesn't matter. As long as we have self defense," he said. "Now let's move."

-break-

The rescue group arrived in ten minutes flat, though Daisuke was urging the driver to go faster along the way.

Once there Minami hastily walked to the back part of the van. "No authorities this time please," he told the group before revealing an impressive stash of firepower.

Moriyama's eyes widened at the number of artillery there was. "I never really underestimated your family before, Minami-kun, but this is just... well..."

Takigawa groaned and grabbed two of them. "Just hurry up Moriyama. We don't have time to stand around anymore," he insisted before turning to Shirota. "Can you handle this?" he inquired, grabbing another one and holding it out to Shirota.

Shirota looked from his leg to the gun and reached out for it with a nod.

-break-

"Damn it…" Aiba hissed as they dropped their weapons.

Surrounded by men armed with guns, the group found themselves backed to a corner.

"Give up already," one of the men stated, aiming a gun at Kimeru before a bullet ricocheted off it, causing the man to drop his gun in surprise. "What the-"

"Pick it up and I assure you I'll shoot your hand," came Takigawa's voice from down the hall, keeping one gun trained at the man as he approached.

"Where did you come-" another man was about to inquire before a bullet grazed just past his temple before hitting the wall, a trail of blood now seeping down his face.

"Do you want me to pull the trigger again?" Moriyama inquired with a wide grin, a gun in hand. "I won't miss on purpose a second time," he warned lightly.

Shirota came limping forward and fired towards another man who was near Aiba, hitting at his gun hand successfully and smiled. "Guess who came to rescue you guys," he said simply.

Minami frowned as he fired a shot at the man who still attempted to charge towards them, causing the group to look at him. "What? I was trained that way," he defended with a pout.

The men who were only given a warning shot quickly retreated down another hall.

Sakurada chuckled and approached Minami. "Is anything hurting from awhile ago?" he asked, concerned.

"Eiji!" Yanagi and Kimeru called out happily before rushing (in Kimeru's case: briskly walking) towards their respective partners.

Takigawa managed to support Kimeru and wrapped his arms around him protectively. "Are you okay?" he whispered, rubbing the J-pop singer's back.

Moriyama patted Yanagi. "I'm surprised you haven't met any accidents yet, Kotaro."

Aiba, taking one of the guns they had put down earlier, went straight beside Shirota. "Even if you can't walk properly..." he scolded lightly before smiling and kissing Shirota on the cheek. "Thank you."

Shirota grinned. "Hey, I didn't want to be left out," he admitted.

"Yuuta?" Daisuke called out as he looked at the couples frantically. "Where's Yuuta?"

"Kyou took him to another room, we don't know-" Even before Yanagi's sentence was finished, Daisuke ran down the hall in search for his lover. Letting his instincts guide him he kicked a door open and froze when he saw what his brother was doing.

"KYOU!" he yelled as he aimed his gun.

Kyou smirked and immediately got off Furukawa and placed the actor in front of him. "Go ahead, little brother...shoot," he dared.

Ueshima followed after Daisuke to find Kyou. Seeing that Daisuke was hesitating, he stepped up beside him and brought his own gun up. "Don't mind if _I_ do," he stated, pulling the trigger as the bullet cut through the ropes tying Furukawa down.

-break-

Minami rubbed his jaw. "I think this will bruise but relatively, I'm fine. And you?" he asked.

Sakurada nodded. "I'm fine."

Kimeru chuckled before adjusting his footing. "Yes I am...you should have heard what Hiroki thought of to get us out of that room."

Aiba was about to say something when he heard a gunshot. "Furukawa..." he said in alarm.

Yanagi tugged Moriyama down the hall to see what happened. The rest followed after Yanagi and Moriyama to locate where Daisuke had run off to.

-break-

Daisuke, jolted back to focus by the shot, ran inside tackled Kyou, who was attempting to run, down on the ground.

"Damn it Daisuke! Get off!" Kyou growled as he kicked his brother off of him.

Daisuke, stumbling backwards from the force of the kick, quickly regained his footing and pointed a gun at Kyou.

The older of the two siblings, quickly realizing the situation, backed himself to the wall. "D-daisuke," he started. "What are you doing? I'm your brother..." he said nervously. "You won't turn me in, right?"

"You touched Yuuta..." Daisuke said in a low voice.

"Yes but come on, who wouldn't..." Kyou tried to reason. "You won't pull that trigger right, Daisuke?" he said, feeling for the gun just behind him.

"For years I let you do what you want...I left you alone and yet this is what you do."

"You know how I am Daisuke...it's a habit that hard to-" Kyou pulled out the gun and pointed it at Daisuke but before he could pull the trigger a shot was heard followed by another and another.

The gun shots ended, Daisuke stood there, as if frozen as the gun remained pointed at his brother's dead body.

His head slightly bowed down, causing his bangs to slightly cover his eyes. Tears started falling from his eyes.

"Daisuke..." Kimeru said sadly as he watched his friend who still wasn't moving from his spot. _'Even though he hated him...that was most probably...the hardest thing he had to do…'_ he thought as he turned away and placed his arms around Takigawa.

Takigawa ran a hand through Kimeru's hair and leaned his own head on the singer's, kissing him atop his head.

There was silence that followed as Ueshima moved forward and offered his jacket to Furukawa before the latter moved to Daisuke, placing a hand on his outstretched hand with the gun and slowly pushed it down. "Daisuke..." he whispered. "It's over..." he said, slowly uncurling his lover's finger from the trigger and took the gun away before wrapping his arms around Daisuke, rubbing his back.

Daisuke nodded silently before returning Furukawa's embrace.

Minami stepped forward. "I'll take everyone back to the theater..." he told them. "A cleanup crew will arrive in a few minutes..."

-break-

Back in the theater, the group remained silent.

Daisuke did not let go of Furukawa's hand throughout the trip. Furukawa squeezed Daisuke's hand reassuringly, constantly rubbing his lover's back and placed his other hand on Daisuke's cheek, stroking his thumb soothingly, whispering words of comfort to him.

Aiba glanced at Daisuke worriedly. "Do you think Watanabe-senpai is alright?" he asked Shirota quietly.

Shirota, now supporting himself with his crutches, looked over in Daisuke's direction and frowned. "I can't say for sure... After all, what he did earlier... Wasn't something just anybody can do, no matter how much you hated them..." he replied.

Daisuke remained quiet, conscious only of the fact that Furukawa was with him. Aiba looked at the rest of the cast who were talking to Minami who was telling them of their little misadventure.

Yanagi looked at the couple as well before sighing. "Eiji... we need to get Takigawa and Kimeru back to the hospital...Kimeru isn't in the proper condition to be out of there..." he told Moriyama.

Moriyama nodded. "I know..." The Momoshiro actor stated, approaching the pair. "Shall we... head back to the hospital?"

Takigawa adjusted his hold on Kimeru and nodded.

Kimeru, who was drowsy, nodded quietly before getting up. "I think I reopened a wound..." he muttered.

"Tsk..." Takigawa muttered before carrying Kimeru on his back. "Come on, let's get to the car," he told Moriyama.

"Oi, aren't you going to reopen yours as well if you do that?" Moriyama complained.

"Kimeru's in worse condition than I am," Takigawa pointed out bluntly. "I don't want anybody else telling me otherwise. Let's go."

Moriyama sighed before leading the way to the car, Yanagi in tow.

-break-

Ueshima approached Shirota and Aiba and heaved a huge sigh. "Today's series of events tells you just how dangerous everything can be... The relationship you all have," the director explained, his eyes focused on Daisuke and Furukawa. "At first I was surprised that most of the problems revolved around either you two or Takigawa-kun and Kimeru-kun. Every big problem always centered on the four of you... But now... It seems that even Furukawa-kun and Watanabe-kun are experiencing what you all did..."

"I can't say it's something to be proud of, Ueshima-sensei..." Shirota admitted sheepishly.

"You have to admit, though... That rescue was a nice feat. I'm impressed with the skills you showed. All of you," Ueshima commended, turning to the second Tezuka-Fuji pair.

Aiba frowned. "It's still not something to be proud of..." Aiba muttered.

-break-

"I should apologize to Ueshima-sensei for causing so much trouble." Daisuke said horsely as he stood up and walked towards the director.

Furukawa held Daisuke by the wrist. "I'm sure he understands, Daisuke..." he said softly.

-break-

Ueshima gestured the pair to sit down with him. "Think of it this way. You're all facing problems unimaginable. But you get through each one of them, keeping the love you have for each other intact, if not fortifying it further. Sure there will always be more misunderstandings and problems in the future, but if the simple idea that you two will always find a way to get through _anything_ because of how much you love one another, then isn't that a wonderful idea to hold onto?" he suggested with a small smile.

Aiba sat down beside the director and listened carefully. "You're right, Ueshima-sensei," he said with a smile. "While the situations thrown at us can be very aggravating and intimidating.." Pausing, he looked at Furukawa and Daisuke, Minami and Sakurada and the spot where Takigawa and Kimeru were a while ago before looking at Shirota. "We were able to make it through...everyone together with the people we love the most."

Shirota nodded in agreement, smiling serenely. "If you put it that way, I'm glad things worked out in the end," he stated. "Now can we head back to the house now? We still haven't had breakfast."

Daisuke heard this. "That's right...breakfast is waiting back at Shirota and Aiba's place," he said befor taking Furukawa by the hand. "Let's go back..."

"It's a good thing they didn't ruin the dinner table when they came in," Furukawa pointed out distractedly.

"But they were pretty rough back then, darn it..." Shirota complained.

"I'll be taking your Fuji actors for today, Ueshima-sensei…" Daisuke said with a bow before leaving with them.

"See you tomorrow, Ueshima-sensei!" Aiba said with a wave.

"Don't worry, I'm canceling today's practice," Ueshima called out to them. "I wouldn't want to conduct practice with people who experienced what they did today."

-break-

Back at Shirota and Aiba's house, Daisuke heated the food before serving it on the table.

It was quiet, making Aiba quite uncomfortable. "I hope Kime-nii and Eiji-nii wouldn't be in trouble for disappearing from the hospital," he started conversationally.

"Those men practically made a statement just entering the hospital. More so when they left the establishment with Kime-nii and Yanagi-kun," Shirota explained, causing the group to look over to him. "What, Yanagi told me about it when they were being brought out to a van," he defended.

Furukawa sighed. "Remember that it's not new news for those two to suddenly leave the hospital," he told them.

"That's right..." Aiba said in agreement. "Though I'm glad the press didn't notice it this time."

Daisuke nodded mutely before taking a spoonful of breakfast.

Shirota nodded before looking over to Daisuke, continuing to eat his own breakfast.

-break-

After breakfast Aiba looked over at Daisuke. "Watanabe-senpai, are you staying for practice?" he asked.

Daisuke shook his head before pulling out his phone and showing a message to the younger boy. "Ueshima-sensei said that I shouldn't and that you two were in good hands," he said.

Shirota blinked. "Didn't Ueshima-sensei cancel practice for today?" he asked with a frown.

Aiba grinned. "I was talking about tomorrow, Yuu," he told the boy.

"Oh..." Shirota stated sheepishly, embarrassed before opting to scratch his cheek and looked away. "I see."

"We need to set a few things straight, anyway," Furukawa explained, placing a hand on Daisuke's shoulder.

Daisuke looked at Furukawa before standing up. "I'll go...feed the guinea pigs..." he said distractedly.

"No you don't," Furukawa said, sensing that Daisuke wanted to avoid the matter. "We'll be going upstairs for a while, you two," he announced, grabbing Daisuke by the wrist and pulling him along.

Daisuke looked away, a frown on his face as he let himself be led by Furukawa.

Echizen scuttled after them but stopped at the foot of the stairs as if sensing that he should leave the two alone.

Shirota watched the two disappear upstairs. "I'm sure they'll fix things amongst themselves without trouble," he said confidently.

The rest of the day passed. Furukawa and Daisuke were upstairs most of the time, talking, and doing things, and only came down for lunch and dinner. While that was happening, Shirota and Aiba were spending some much needed time together in each other's company.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED. :D


	21. Only with You

**Title:** Anything for You

**Author/Artist:** snooperj & Bloodysamurai

**Series/Pairing(s):** TeniMyu; Mainly Takigawa Eiji x Kimeru, Shirota Yuu x Aiba Hiroki & Watanabe Daisuke x Furukawa Yuuta

**Notes:** Here is the 21st chapter entitled **Only with You**. The fourth arc for Shirota and Aiba, this chapter pays special attention to a most unfortunate event happening to the second Tezuka-Fuji couple in the form of a youth named Midorikawa Taiki. How will this affect their relationship? Also in this line-up is the first day of Dream Live 4th. This chapter details the events of April 2 and 6, 2007.

**A/N: **Welcome to '**SEASON 2**'! Don't ask why we suddenly have seasons. We just did. xP

**ALSO! None of the authors of this roleplay/fanfic own TeniMyu or the actors, but are mere fangirls of the musical series and corresponding actors we write about. Everything that progresses in the story is the creation of our witty imaginations.

* * *

+++April 2, 2007+++

The following day, practices resumed. Due to the problems the past few days, the original date of Dream Live 4th, March 30 and 31, was pushed forward to April 6 and 7 instead. Breakfast, prepared by Furukawa this time around, displayed a simple meal of omelette, bacon and toast for the foursome before Daisuke took Furukawa and Aiba off to practice, leaving Shirota alone for a few minutes awaiting his return.

After getting back Daisuke immediately rushed upstairs.

"I'll come right back, Yuuta forgot his costume and they're going to have their dress rehearsal," he said as he ran back outside to the car.

Shirota blinked, watching Daisuke leave. He looked around the first floor landing of their practically empty house. The pets were safely in their cages or taking a nap somewhere while the other current residents were out. "They left me alone..." he complained with a mock pout.

He was seated on the couch flipping through the channels of the television, not really finding anything interesting to watch. It was then that the doorbell rang. Shirota blinked and looked over his shoulder to the front door. "Watanabe-senpai sure was quick," he said to himself as he pushed himself up with his crutches and went to the door. "Coming!" he called out before pulling the door open. "A-re?"

"Shirota Yuu-san?" a teen about the same height as Shirota with a muscular build inquired.

Shirota blinked. "Do I know you?" he asked politely with a smile.

The boy shook his head. "I doubt you do. I'm currently a senior student at your old senior high school Mitsukaru. Midorikawa Taiki desu," he introduced.

Shirota adjusted himself with his crutches. "And? What are you doing here? Isn't it the middle of class hours?" he asked with a frown.

Taiki shook his head. "We just came back from our field trip the other day so we have the day off today," he explained.

"I see. How do you know me?"

"You're some sort of a legend at Mitsukaru, Shirota-san. You were Student Council President in your graduating year the same year you were the captain of the soccer varsity team," Taiki elaborated.

"I understand how you came across that information. But the question remains as to why you're here."

"I really admire you, Shirota-san. I've been updated with all of your works so far and I've even attended the Tenimyus while you were Tezuka," Taiki shared excitedly.

Shirota smiled. "Well, I'm flattered."

"In short, I want to be with you."

Shirota blinked. "E-Eh?"

Taiki pulled a straight face, indicating that he was serious. "I love you and I want to be with you, Shirota-san."

Shirota averted his gaze. _'Is this kid serious?'_ he thought to himself, shaking his head. "Sorry, but that can't happen."

"Why not?" Taiki demanded.

"Because if you're updated with me, then you should be well-aware that I'm already with someone," Shirota explained, holding up the hand where his ring was.

"I know. With Aiba Hiroki, the one who co-starred as Fuji with you."

"Then why are you-"

"I don't care."

"Excuse me?"

Taiki took a step forward. "I've waited for a long time before I got this chance to meet you in person, Yuu-san. And I don't intend to leave empty-handed."

Shirota's patience was wearing thin. "Sorry to disappoint you, Midorikawa-kun. But don't think you have the right to call me by my name so recklessly," he intoned dangerously.

"Really, _Yuu_-san?" Taiki stated. "All I need to do is take Aiba-san out of the picture then I can have you to myself, right?"

"You're not laying a single finger on Hiroki!" Shirota said, raising his voice.

Taiki smirked. "Then if you don't want me to harm him, you'd do as I say, Yuu-san."

Shirota glared daggers towards the youth. "Don't you even pull Hiroki into this whole mess."

"I won't have to if you just agree to come with me."

"And what makes you think that I will?"

Taiki seized Shirota by the shoulder and pushed him back, causing them both to fall back into the floor of the house, knocking Shirota's crutches out of his grasp. The teen grabbed both of Shirota's wrists during the descent and pinned them above the singer's head as soon as they landed on the floor, Shirota hissing in pain of his leg as Taiki gently applied pressure on it with his knee, leaning forward to whisper, "Because I can do this."

"Get off!" Shirota demanded, struggling from the teen's weight and hold on him.

-break-

Aiba, who was doing a routine with the Seigaku cast, stopped abruptly when he felt his shoelace snap. "What the..." he said.

The music stopped and all eyes were turned towards the Fuji actor. "Is there something wrong, Aibacchi?" Minami asked.

Aiba stared at his shoelace for a while before frowning, "Ueshima-sensei, can I be excused for a while to make a call?" he asked the director who was seated on the front row of the audience area.

Ueshima blinked and nodded, waving a hand of approval. "Go right ahead, Aiba-kun."

-break-

"And why should I?" Taiki challenged with a smirk before leaning forward in an attempt to capture the singer's lips.

Shirota, managing to channel some strength in his legs, propelled Taiki off him and over his head as he rolled backward, managing a firm landing on his good knee and outstretched his casted leg, hissing in pain. _'Dammit...'_ he cursed, quickly pushing himself up. _'This isn't good...'_

Taiki, unprepared for the sudden throw, pushed himself up slowly. "I guess I underestimated you, Yuu-san. I forget that you were a varsity soccer player before," he commended dryly. "But that leg of yours won't hold up for much longer if you strain it too much."

Shirota managed to get to his feet - although uneasily so - and leaned on the couch for support, panting. "I'm not letting you do what you want just because you think you can, Midorikawa-kun."

Taiki smirked. "Well, that would just mean I'll have to use force, now would I?" he stated.

-break-

Aiba frowned as he moved to the side and whipped out his phone. _'I feel so uneasy...please just let me be paranoid...'_ he pleaded as he dialed their house number instead of Shirota's phone and waited for the other to pick up.

"Come on, Yuu..." he said when he heard the fourth ring.

"Yuuta, here's your jersey," Daisuke said as he entered the dressing room and handed Furukawa his Seigaku uniform.

Furukawa nodded. "Arigatou, Daisuke," he thanked with a smile, taking it and went to change into it.

-break-

The house phone rang. Shirota turned to the device, for a moment having a feeling that Aiba was on the other line. _'Hiroki...'_

Taiki used this moment of distraction and lunged forward, punching Shirota on the stomach, knocking the wind from the singer and eventually into unconsciousness. Taiki supported Shirota's weight and adjusted his hold on him as he got to his feet, the phone still ringing. The teen turned to the portrait hanging on the wall, smirking in victory. "I win, Aiba-san..." he said to no one in particular and left the house.

-break-

Aiba felt his blood run cold as he ended the call and rushed to the stage. "Gomen Ueshima-sensei!" he yelled as he took his bag and dashed to the backstage.

"Watanabe-senpai! KEYS! NOW!" he demanded.

Daisuke, stunned for a good few second, fumbled around for the car keys and handed them to Aiba who grabbed it and dashed out through the back door. Daisuke frowned. "We should follow him."

"Kime-nii, Eiji-nii...thank you for the automatic car…" he said as he got in and drove off in haste.

-break-

Taiki had parked his car a block away before depositing Shirota in the backseat before getting in the driver's seat and drove off with a huge smile on his face. "What an accomplishment," he said smugly to himself, driving off to his apartment that was a 15 minute drive away.

When he arrived, he parked his car in his slot and took the still unconscious singer up to his apartment and made sure to lock the door behind him before heading to his bedroom, placing Shirota down on his queen-sized bed. The teen frowned for a moment. "He didn't have his phone with him, did he?" he thought out loud to himself and search the singer's pockets but found them empty. A sly smile crept up his features. "That's good, then..." he concluded.

-break-

Aiba searched the house frantically. "Yuu!" he called out as he ran downstairs. "No..." he said as he felt tears well up in his eyes. Pulling out his phone, he called the first person he can think of. "UESHIMA-SENSEI! YUU'S GONE!"

Ueshima pulled his phone away from his ear as soon as he answered it. Hearing the tone of Aiba, Ueshima brought the phone back. "What do you mean gone?" he inquired. "You need to tell me what's wrong so I can find a way to help you, Aiba-kun," he said, getting up from his seat and walked towards the back of the theater.

"I came home and found the door unlocked...he's not here, Ueshima-sensei…" he said, tearing up. "His phone was on the floor...Yuu's been kidnapped!"

Ueshima stopped walking. "Kidnapped?" he repeated. _'That isn't a way to kick-start things...'_ he thought. "I assume we don't have any leads as to who would do so... Then I'll have to ask you to just follow your instincts, Aiba-kun."

-break-

Taiki moved to sit down on his desk chair, watching and waiting for Shirota to wake up.

A groan echoed from Shirota as he finally regained consciousness. "Where am..." Earlier's events flooded back into his mind before he immediately sat up and looked around, his gaze falling on the teen sitting at his desk. "Where am I?" he demanded.

"In my apartment," Taiki simply replied.

Shirota moved to get off the bed before Taiki swiftly got up from his chair and moved onto the bed, grabbing Shirota's wrists and pinned them above him a second time, causing the singer to lie back down on his back. "Get off me!" Shirota exclaimed, struggling from the teen's hold on him.

Taiki simply applied a bit of pressure to ensure that Shirota wouldn't get away. "If you stopped struggling, this wouldn't be so hard," he pointed out with a frown.

"If you haven't gotten it through your head yet, I'm already with Hiroki. So I don't need a kid like you butting in!" Shirota snapped at him.

Taiki glared down at Shirota before adjusting his knee and drove it down onto the singer's leg, causing him to scream out in pain. Taiki took this opportunity and seized the singer's lips with his own.

-break-

"Instincts..." Aiba said before taking in a deep breath. "Thank you, Ueshima-sensei," he said before standing up and placing his phone on the table. His gaze turned sharp as he quickly made his way upstairs and went inside Shirota's old room and yanked open a cabinet. He grabbed the gun that Daisuke had placed there the day before and went to his and Shirota's room to do the same and stashed both guns in his bag before slinging it over his shoulder and heading outside.

"Someone's going to die today..." he said darkly as he gritted his teeth, slammed the door close and went to the car. Once in the car, he closed his eyes for a moment. Then he put the key in the ignition, gunned the engine and drove off. His eyes narrowed.

-break-

Taiki pulled back and smirked, licking his lips. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" he stated in triumph.

Shirota was panting, wincing at the pain of his leg. "Shut up..." he muttered.

-break-

Instinctively, Aiba parked in front of an apartment and got down. He walked inside, giving of a very dark aura. Stopping at a particular door, he pulled out one of the guns before using it to knock on the door.

-break-

"Now then..." Taiki slipped a hand along the singer's side, under his shirt before they both heard a knock on the door. The teen looked over to the general direction of the door in annoyance. "What the..."

Shirota gritted his teeth, trying to get the teen off him, more so stop him from touching him so familiarly.

Taiki returned his attention to Shirota and frowned. "I told you to stop struggling," he said roughly.

Aiba frowned when no one answered the door. His raised his hand and aimed at the door knob before firing at it. The door swung open and Aiba let himself inside. He looked around the apartment and made his way towards the bedroom, following his instincts. He fired at the locked door again and kicked open the door, his hands steady as he pointed the gun; his face not betraying any emotion as he saw the scene.

Calmly he harshly kicked the boy off his partner, gun still aimed at the boy's chest. "Care to explain just what the fuck you're doing with my _husband_?" he asked, voice steady and as blank as as his expression.

Shirota winced as the weight of the teen rolled off his leg. "I-te..." he managed to say before he saw Aiba there. "Hiro-" Shirota paled at the sight of the firearm that his lover was carrying. "What are you doing with that?" he asked hesitantly, pushing himself up.

Taiki wiped his mouth and pushed himself off the floor. "Isn't it obvious? I want to take him away from you," he stated defiantly.

Aiba walked over to him. "And what makes you believe that you're free to do that?" he said coldly, glaring at the teen. "Who the hell are you to barge in our lives and force yourself on someone who clearly shows no interest in you?" "You should be ashamed at yourself, boy," he spat angrily. "You don't know just who the hell you're dealing with," he adjusted his hold on his gun. "You have five seconds to clear out of here. I don't give a damn if this is your apartment. If I still see your fucking face here when I stop counting I won't hesitate to cause you a bullet wound or two." Hand firmly on the trigger, Aiba started counting.

Taiki narrowed his eyes. "I dare you to shoot me. It'd be a charge against you for firing a gun and injuring a student isn't that right, Aiba-san?"

Aiba chuckled before starting to laugh. "You honestly think I don't have enough connections, brat?" he said with a glare. "You should-"

"Hi... Hiroki!" Shirota exclaimed, managing to sit up and grab the boy's wrist, the singer trembling profoundly as he caught his breath. "Don't... do this..." he pleaded, his head hung low, unable to face him at the moment, his eyes shut tight. _'Just because of me... You don't have to act this way!'_

Hearing Shirota's voice, Aiba finally snapped out of his trance-like state. "Yuu..." he said in a voice barely above a whisper. He glanced at Shirota but he didn't lower his gun; it remained pointed at the boy's chest. Torn between what to do, Aiba gritted his teeth, before looking at the boy.

"Weak, as I expected," Taiki observed. "Your heart melts at his voice, doesn't it, Aiba-san?"

Shirota twitched and spotted the other gun sticking out from Aiba's bag that he recognized was the one from his and Aiba's room. Smiling to himself, he pulled it out.

Taiki saw this movement from the corner of his eyes. "Two guns?" he said in disbelief, his attention on Shirota now, taking a cautious step back.

Shirota turned to the teen. "Perhaps you'd like me to repeat myself when I said that I'm already with someone who's right here," he stated, bringing the gun up and pointing it at the teen as well. "Perhaps I should punish you for doing what you did to me?" he challenged, resting a finger over the trigger.

"You wouldn't pull the trigger just as you didn't want Aiba-san to do it!" Taiki accused.

Shirota smirked. "I have my own personal reasons, Midorikawa-kun."

"Yuu!" Aiba said in a hiss as he saw Shirota pull out the other gun he took.

-break-

"Yes, Ueshima-sensei..." Daisuke said as he sat down on the couch, holding his phone to his ear. "Both of the guns are gone, Shirota and Aiba's phones are here and no...we don't know where they are..." he reported.

Ueshima frowned. "Well, if that's the case, there isn't much we can do but wait for them to come back, now do we?" the director admitted with a sigh. "Honestly, getting into the hype of yesterday..."

-break-

"Promise me right here and now that you'll stop fondling over me and get your own life, kid," Shirota warned.

"And if I refuse?" Taiki asked.

Shirota cocked the gun. "Then I pull the trigger," he stated and pushed himself up to his feet, managing to balance himself and limped closer to the boy.

"You wouldn't..."

Shirota, at arms length, pointed the barrel of the gun to the boy's chest. "Are you sure?" He smirked.

Taiki was confused but he shook his head. "I won't do it!"

"Give up already, kid. You've had your fun. Quit this nonsense already and move on."

Taiki glared over to Shirota and shut his eyes. "Then shoot me!" he exclaimed.

Shirota's features became grim. "If that's what you like." The singer pulled the trigger.

The bullet that emerged from the gun made impact on the boy's chest as Midorikawa Taiki fell backwards, blood emitting from the bullet wound before Shirota lowered the gun and sighed. "Honestly, that kid doesn't want to listen..."

Aiba's eyes widened when Shirota pulled the trigger. "Yuu...what..." he trailed off as he he lowered the gun and looked at Shirota in disbelief.

Shirota avoided Aiba's gaze. "He's not dead, you know..." he pointed out after a moment's silence before bringing the gun up and pointed it to the wall and pulled the trigger a second time. The bullet made contact with the wall, as the shell fell to the floor, leaving a mark that suddenly began to ooze a color red much similar to the color of blood.

"This isn't a real gun," Shirota explained, limping over to Taiki's body. "It's just a prop that works best with on-stage gun showdowns. The impact to the chest from that close a range just rendered him unconscious, but not dead." He nonchalantly kicked at the teen's side as they heard a rough groan.

Aiba blinked before looking over at the unconscious boy and sighing. "For a minute there I thought..." he trailed off before putting the gun he held on safety and tucked it in his bag. He moved towards the phone and placed a call to someone before walking back to Shirota. "Let's go home..." he said softly before slipping his hand around Shirota's waist to support him.

Shirota looked over to Taiki and nodded his head over to Aiba, slipping the prop gun back into the bag and placed an arm over Aiba's shoulders as they both left the teen's apartment. "...How did you know where to find me?" he asked as they reached the car.

"Instinct..." Aiba answered with a smile as he assisted Shirota into the backseat. He smirked inwardly when he saw a familiar van park just when they drove off.

Shirota leaned back and closed his eyes for the whole length of the car ride home, both thinking about his aching leg and his unwanted experience with Taiki.

-break-

Once they heard a car arrive, Daisuke immediately rushed out. "Shirota! Aiba!" he called out as he went over and helped Shirota out. "What happened to you two?"

"I'll tell you later...Yuu needs to get upstairs," Aiba said as he got off the driver's side.

Furukawa held the door open for them, frowning as he noticed the glazed look in Shirota's eyes, noticing that the singer was trying his best to avoid everyone's gaze while at the same time finding the floor more interesting. _'Why does that gaze look so familiar...'_ he thought to himself.

Aiba silently followed as Daisuke helped Shirota upstairs.

Once inside he brought out some clothes from the locker and handed them to Shirota. "Get changed...I'm burning those," he said flatly.

Shirota took the clothes from Aiba, still avoiding eye contact and looked at them for a moment before his eyes widened at hearing what Aiba planned to do. He clutched at the bundle of clothes he was given and shut his eyes. _'Gomen...'_ he apologized repeatedly to himself before getting to his feet and limped off to the bathroom in silence.

Furukawa watched this and leaned back on the wall. As soon as the bathroom door closed, he turned to Aiba. "Can you _please_ tell us what happened?"

Aiba sat on the bad. "Yuu..." he started, looking down on the carpeted floor. "He..." closing his eyes, the dancer took a deep breath. "…he went through what you did…"

Furukawa looked away and sighed. "No wonder that glazed look in his eyes looked familiar..."

Aiba sighed again before briefly glancing at his bag. "Excuse me I need to make a phone call…" he said as he stood.

"Here's your phone," Daisuke said from the door as he tossed the phone to Aiba who caught it with ease and left the room.

"Did you find out what happened?" Daisuke asked his fiancé.

Furukawa looked away from Daisuke. "Partially..." he replied.

Daisuke simply nodded and walked away. "They'll have to confront it eventually."

Furukawa grabbed Daisuke by the wrist. "So do we..." the Fuji actor whispered.

Daisuke stopped walking, keeping his gaze ahead. "Yuuta...we..." he started, but found himself unable to continue.

Furukawa pulled Daisuke back and into an embrace. "If we can't talk about it now... Then when...?"

Daisuke bit his lower lip before letting out a shaky breath. "Yuuta...what happened to you... is all my fault..."

Furukawa kissed Daisuke on the back of his neck. "No... None of this is your fault, Daisuke..." he stated. "Don't go blaming yourself..."

Daisuke shook his head, keeping his eyes shut tight. "You don't understand...if I didn't get near you...if I was able to confront him earlier..." Tears flowed down his cheeks before he abruptly turned around and embraced the tall Fuji actor. "Forgive me Yuuta...this is all…my...fault..."

"Enough, Daisuke... Enough..." Furukawa stated clearly. "What happened to me... happened. I... will have to learn to get past it in the best way I can. But that shouldn't involve you putting the blame solely on yourself, do you understand?" Furukawa took up both hands and cupped Daisuke's face with them and kissed him before slowly pulling back, pressing their foreheads together. "I will love you regardless."

-break-

From inside the bathroom, where Shirota had finished changed, the second Tezuka actor overheard this and leaned back on the door, looking down at his own hands before clenching them into fists. _'Hiroki...'_

-break-

Daisuke nodded before pulling back to wipe away his tears with his arm.

Aiba, who was at a corner of the hall, leaned on the wall and shut his eyes. _'Yuu...'_

-break-

Furukawa glanced momentarily towards the bathroom before stepping back and pulled Daisuke from the room. "Shall I urge you to make dinner?" he asked as they stepped out into the hall.

Daisuke nodded, "I'll get to it." he said before heading downstairs.

-break-

Shirota opened the door and limped back into the bedroom, sighing heavily as he tossed the clothes to the floor and sat himself down on the bed.

As soon as everything was clear, Aiba went back to the room and saw the clothes on the floor. "Excuse me for a bit," he said as he left his phone on the bedside table and took the clothes and went to the backyard.

Shirota glanced briefly in Aiba's direction before looking away again, shutting his eyes and wrapping his arms around himself. _'Hontou ni gomen... Hiroki...'_

-break-

Upon reaching the backyard, Aiba tossed the clothes to the small makeshift camp fire area he and Shirota made before he went to the shed to get some gasoline and poured it over the clothes. "This is the end...Taiki," he muttered darkly before lighting a match and throwing it on the clothes, watching them catch fire and slowly burn to ashes.

Daisuke looked outside the kitchen window and observed the younger boy as he watched the flames. _'He's highly disturbed with what happened...'_ he thought with a frown.

-break-

Furukawa, watching Daisuke head downstairs, saw Aiba pass before he looked over to the master bedroom where Shirota was. He entered and saw Shirota sitting down on the bed. "You should elevate your leg..." he suggested.

Shirota turned to Furukawa and nodded absent-mindedly. "A...Aa..." He pushed himself back on the bed to bring both legs up on the bed as the third Fuji actor slipped a pillow underneath the casted leg. "Arigatou."

Furukawa nodded, sitting himself down beside Shirota. "I... understand how it feels for you, Shirota-kun..." he began. "In the same way... I would understand why you're avoiding meeting his eyes..." Furukawa continued. "You feel annoyed and angry that you allowed yourself to experience this... But there was really nothing you could do, was there?"

Shirota shook his head quietly.

"Then the only thing you _can_ do is to sit down, brood on it for a while and move on."

"How am I supposed to do that...?" Shirota inquired. "Especially after... after..."

Furukawa leaned forward and patted Shirota on the shoulder, giving him a small smile. "I assume it's... a new experience for you... Always being the one to top," he stated off-handedly. "But if you want to move on, Shirota-kun... If you want someone to touch you familiarly to make you feel at ease... Allow Aiba-kun that privilege and nobody else."

-break-

"I think the kid's going crazy..." Daisuke said as he heard a familiar voice laugh evilly outside. Shaking his head he continued chopping the vegetables and turned his concentration to what he was making.

Aiba smirked as the clothes finally turned into ashes.

-break-

Shirota shuddered momentarily before taking a deep breath and exhaled. "I'll try..." he said, causing Furukawa to nod, patting the second Tezuka actor on the head as he got to his feet.

"Then I'll go down and see what Daisuke's cooking for dinner," he stated before leaving the room.

Aiba went back inside and washed his hands.

"Aiba...are you alright?" Daisuke asked hesitantly. Aiba looked at him with a blank expression before going back upstairs.

The Fuji actor went straight to the studio room and slammed the door shut behind him before locking it.

-break-

Furukawa had just entered the kitchen as Aiba passed, went upstairs and locked himself in the studio room. The Fuji actor sighed. "He's not taking what happened too well, I bet?" he inquired, walking up to Daisuke.

Daisuke sighed and nodded as he added the vegetables to the pot. "Though he was laughing manically earlier," he told him.

-break-

Hearing a door slam, Shirota closed his eyes, knowing that it was the room across from the master bedroom where the studio room was. Shirota brought his good leg up, hugging his knee and rested his forehead on it, sobbing quietly. _'If I wasn't injured... I could've...'_ he trailed off in thought, losing the battle to his tears as he slowly allowed them to seep through, soaking his jogging pants, clutching them tightly. _'Hiroki... Gomen...'_

-break-

Aiba went to the stereo and placed a random CD in before maxing out the volume. He paced back and forth a few times before stopping in the middle of the room and yelled loudly. He continued to yell to let out his frustrations. "DAMN IT!" he exclaimed before kicking a chair, toppling it over.

-break-

Furukawa frowned deeply. "That's... unheard of..." he admitted before they heard a muffled sound overhead. "He's in the studio room..." he figured before moving up to the counter to assist Daisuke. "Shirota's not doing too well himself..." he explained after a while.

Daisuke looked over at Furukawa. "What happened to him anyway?" he asked.

-break-

Aiba panted harshly as he stood in the middle of the room. He was surrounded by broken glass from the fishbowl they had in the room, toppled chairs, CDs lying on the floor and his own PSP broken in two by his feat. With a frustrated grunt her turned off the stereo and went downstairs. He kept quiet as he got the broom and the dustpan from the kitchen.

"In a nutshell... Experienced what I did yesterday," Furukawa explained briefly, not long after seeing Aiba appear in the kitchen to retrieve a broom and dustpan.

"He what?" Daisuke exclaimed, letting the cover of the pot fall to the floor in shock. He frowned before picking it up again. "What is it with the world…" he muttered. Daisuke looked at Aiba. "He won't be able to manage those with just one hand," he pointed out.

Furukawa retrieved the fallen pot cover, handed it to Daisuke and nodded, approaching Aiba and took the broom from his hand. "I'll help you clean up," he suggested.

Daisuke nodded in thanks before going to the sink to rinse off the cover.

Aiba frantically shook his head. "No...I can clean up myself..." he said before trying to reach the broom.

Furukawa pulled it out of his reach. "I insist," the other Fuji actor pressed.

Aiba didn't want Furukawa to see the mess that he made upstairs and grabbed the broom again. "I'll do it," he said in irritation before running upstairs.

Daisuke blinked before sighing. "Honestly...how does Kimeru and Takigawa deal with them…"

Furukawa watched Aiba return upstairs before sighing himself. "A good question indeed..."

"Watch this for a while...I'll go check on Shirota...what you told me is getting me worried." Daisuke said before removing the apron he was wearing and going upstairs. "Shirota...?" he called out as he peeked inside. When he saw the boy sobbing however, he rushed to him in alarm. Gently he placed his arms around the boy and rubbed his back.

Shirota brought his head up slightly and found someone embracing him and rubbing his back. Recognizing it to be Daisuke, the second Tezuka actor's tears only pursued to fall harder.

Daisuke sighed before pulling the boy closer to him, softly saying comforting words.

-break-

"Furukawa..." Aiba said as he appeared by the kitchen door. "I...I need some help...in putting things back in the studio..." he said as he looked down.

Furukawa turned the stove off, covered the pot and nodded. "Alright," he agreed.

Aiba silently led the other Fuji actor upstairs, keeping his gaze down especially when he revealed what was in the studio.

Furukawa's eyes widened at the state of the studio. _'Someone's snapped...'_ he concluded to himself before allowing himself a sigh and a pat on Aiba's shoulder. "All I will tell you is to calm down and try not to blow things out of proportion," he stated before taking a step into the room to see what he can clean up.

Aiba stepped inside and helped clean up the room, "It's just that..." he started after a few moments of silence, "Yuu's been through...that...and I can't find myself...doing anything. I can't even think rationally anymore…"

After picking up some fallen CDs and placed them on the desk, Furukawa approached Aiba and tousled his hair lightly. "There is something you can do. Something _only_ you can do, Aiba-kun. Help Shirota-kun erase those memories of his... by giving him the reassurance that you are the sole person who can have him in that manner," he explained.

Aiba blinked before looking at Furukawa and frowned before sweeping away what was left of the fishbowl. "I...won't be able to do that yet..." he said.

"Then are you just going to wait around, act like this and wait for him to make the first step to moving forward?" Furukawa inquired, moving to rearrange a few more CDs.

Aiba stared at him and opened his mouth to say something before closing it again, deciding against it. "You're right," he said. "This can wait." With that he dashed out the room and went straight to his and Shirota's bedroom. "Yuu..." he called out as he saw the boy in Daisuke's arms. He felt his heart clench at the sight and slowly made his way to the bed.

Daisuke nodded at him before slowly pulling away from Shirota and silently leaving the room, closing the door behind him.

"Yuu..." Aiba said softly before embracing the boy with his uninjured arm.

"Hiroki..." Shirota muttered, his tears silently falling as he grabbed hold of his lover's shirt and clenched it, afraid to let go. "Gomen nasai... Gomen nasai..." he repeated, moving his head to rest on Aiba's shoulder.

"Yuu…it's alright," he assured his partner before gently pushing him back a bit. "I won't let anyone touch you again...ever," he promised quietly before leaning forward to kiss Shirota.

Shirota blinked back some tears as Aiba pushed him back. "E...Eh?" he inquired before their lips met. Shirota's eyes widened for a brief moment before instinctively pushing Aiba back, shutting his eyes tight.

Aiba looked at him, looking a bit hurt. "Yuu..." he said softly.

"G...Gomen..." Shirota said in reply, shaking his head lightly. "In my head... Everything..." he muttered, his voice shaking as well. "Hiroki... Gomen..."

Aiba sighed before pulling Shirota close again, "Then I won't rush you, Yuu..." he said.

Shirota shook his head, latching onto Aiba's shirt firmly. "No good..." he said softly, his voice still a little shaky. "Hiroki... I don't want to... stay like this... I hate it flooding my mind... So... help me out... Just this once... Onegai..." he pleaded.

Aiba nodded. "Alright..." he said quietly before starting to lean forward again, "Trust me, Yuu.." he said, tipping the singers chin so that he would face him. "It's just me...no one else...ever again." Moving ever so gently, he guided Shirota to lie down on the bed. "Just me..." he said once again before leaning down to kiss him once more.

Shirota prepared himself as best as he could mentally before managing to respond to Aiba's kiss. _'It's Hiroki... And nobody else...'_ he repeated to himself, allowing the Tezuka actor to slowly place his arms around his lover's waist.

Aiba adjusted his position so that instead of straddling Shirota, he was on the singer's side. Not breaking the kiss, the Fuji actor gently traced a path from Shirota's neck down to the hem of the shirt he had previously changed into.

Shirota hissed lightly at the touch but tried not to pay much attention to it, his own hands threatening to wander around as well.

Pulling away from the kiss, Aiba moved to whisper in the singer's ear, "Don't hold back, Yuu," before slipping his hand under Shirota's shirt and gently nibbled on his ear. Being very mindful of his own injury, the Fuji actor moved to slowly pull up the Shirota's shirt.

Shirota cringed as his ear was being nibbled on, his breath hitching as he felt Aiba's hand underneath his shirt touching his bare skin. The Tezuka actor shut his eyes tight, unable to do anything else but clutch into his lover's shirt._'Hiroki...'_

Aiba pulled back, smiling, "Yuu…" he said softly before placing a hand on Shirota's chest. Completely pulling of his shirt, Aiba leaned down for another kiss as he boldly let his hand move downwards; he tried to recall the times it was the other way around to make sure he was doing things properly but opted to just let instinct guide him.

Shirota's eyes snapped open as his own shirt was pulled off, his cheeks flushed before shutting his eyes again. This was where the trauma lay for him; the fact that he had been violated earlier that day by a boy younger than him. The initial thought of having someone willingly do this to him was something he did not want to do. _'But... in Hiroki's case... If only Hiroki does it...'_ he reasoned with himself as he slowly began to slip his own hands under his partner's shirt.

"Nnh...Yuu..." Aiba moaned out lightly, pulling away just a bit before tugging down Shirota's jogging pants slowly, not wanting to rush things. "Yuu….I love you," he whispered before reaching down.

"Hiro-" Shirota was cut off when he felt Aiba pull down his pants, a furious blush now on his cheeks before wanting to move away, but found himself staying put at Aiba's 'I love you'. He slowly opened his eyes to small slits. "I love you too... Hiroki..."

"Yuu..." he whispered again before moving to kneel down on the space on the bed in between Shirota's legs. As soon as he was settled, he removed the last piece of clothing that the singer had on before leaning down.

-break-

Furukawa, after Aiba left, managed to clean what he could in the studio before being satisfied and went downstairs to throw some of the accumulated trash or broken materials from Aiba's rampage.

Daisuke looked at the broken class and other things, blinking. "Where did that come from?" he asked.

Furukawa turned to Daisuke. "The studio," he replied simply.

Daisuke frowned, "All that?" he said, "You mean Aiba thrashed it?"

Furukawa slid the broken shards of glass in the trash bin, nodding. "Pent-up frustrations do that to you. I'm surprised you haven't been acting the same way," he noted.

"That's because this isn't my house..." Daisuke muttered before transferring the food on a serving plate.

-break-

Shirota panted beside Aiba on the bed, wiped out as he brought a hand over his eyes. "You... Really..." he trailed off, trying to catch his breath.

Aiba settled beside Shirota, a bit out of breath as well. "What?" he asked innocently.

Shirota reached out for a pillow and placed it over his face to hide the blush on his cheeks. "Mou..." he moaned into it.

Aiba chuckled before comfortably adjusting on the bed. "I'm sorry for acting the way I did..." he said.

Shirota lowered the pillow, staring at the ceiling. "It's understandable..." he spoke into the pillow. "But at least things are back in order now, ne?"

Aiba inched closer to Shirota before sighing.

_'Or not...'_ Shirota concluded in his head when Aiba sighed. _'It's annoying... Because of my leg, I couldn't do much...'_

-break-

"Then are you planning to do it when we get back to the house?" Furukawa teased lightly.

"Of course not..." Daisuke said. "We have too much breakable stuff there that I'd rather see in one piece," he answered.

Furukawa chuckled. "Alright, I get your point."

Daisuke approached Furukawa and wrapped his arms around him.

Furukawa blinked, setting down whatever he was holding before returning the embrace.

-break-

Aiba stared at the ceiling for a while. "Yuu..." he started. "I'm glad you stopped me from killing him..."

"I didn't want you to do something you'd deeply regret..." Shirota replied quietly.

Aiba closed his eyes and raised his hand before staring at it. "I would have killed him Yuu...I...I think I finally understand what you have felt back then during those times when I was...in your place."

"Let's... not bring up the past anymore, Hiroki... Onegai..." Shirota muttered, moving to place an arm over Aiba.

Aiba nodded before placing a hand on Shirota's arm, "Yes...Sorry..."

Shirota closed his eyes and nodded, snuggling up to Aiba before falling asleep.

-break-

Daisuke pulled away slightly. "I'm being random," he whispered before kissing the Fuji actor.

Furukawa smiled. "I realize that," he said before returning the kiss and looked up. "I wonder how those two are coming along?"

"We aren't hearing anymore doors being slammed, so I'm guessing that they're alright somewhat..." Daisuke said before kissing Furukawa on the neck. "You think we have some time before they realize that they're hungry?"

"You're planning something aren't you?" Furukawa stated incredulously at his partner.

Daisuke grinned. "What gave me away?" he asked as he pulled Furukawa closer to him.

"You always start things by being random," Furukawa pointed out.

Daisuke shrugged. "Time to change my tactics then," he said as he gently pushed Furukawa on the counter before starting to 'attack' his ear.

"Da...Daisuke..." Furukawa stated, shutting his eyes. "Not here..." he whispered.

Daisuke pulled away. "Then where?" he asked huskily.

Furukawa's eyes shot open as he looked over to Daisuke. _'Not that voice...'_ he thought to himself. "Not... Not now..." he muttered; a hint of a blush evident on his cheeks.

Daisuke blinked in confusion before stepping back. Taking one good look at the Fuji actor, it took every ounce of Daisuke's will power not to ravish him right then and there.

Furukawa averted his gaze and straightened up, muttering out an apology. "We should... call Shirota-kun and Aiba-kun down to eat before the food gets cold," he said distractedly.

Daisuke merely nodded, "I'll just...take a shower..." he muttered before heading upstairs. He stopped at Shirota and Aiba room and looked inside. "Dinner's downstairs..." he said blankly before going to the bathroom.

Furukawa watched Daisuke with a heavy heart, sighing as soon as his lover was out of sight, scratching his head. _'Gomen, Daisuke... But... I can't allow you to do it yet... I'm...'_ He paused, bringing a hand up and looked at it. _'I'm just not ready yet...'_

-break-

Shirota propped himself up with his elbows as he heard Daisuke's call for dinner, frowning. "Watanabe-senpai doesn't sound happy..." he pointed out.

"Yeah…" Aiba answered as he sat up. "Something must have happened downstairs…"

Shirota pushed himself up to sit up completely and pulled his legs to the side of the bed and pulled on a shirt. "Let's... head down for dinner," he suggested, getting to his feet.

Aiba nodded quietly before following him.

-break-

Daisuke groaned as he slid on the wall and crouched on the tiled floor, letting the cold water from the shower fall on him. "Dammit..." he muttered as he tried to even out his ragged breathing. Bringing up a hand to his face, the actor took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before slowly breathing out. "Dammit!"

-break-

"I DEMAND TO BE TAKEN OUT OF THIS FORSAKEN PLACE!" Kimeru yelled as he threw a pillow at the general direction of Moriyama.

"Easy, Kime..." Yanagi said as he backed into his chair.

Moriyama caught the pillow with ease, lowering it and tossing it over to Yanagi.

"Don't start throwing a fit, Kime," Takigawa reminded his partner gently, bringing a hand to his head. "Not here of all places..."

"Takigawa's technically just waiting for you anyway. I'll go see if I can get your release papers arranged," Moriyama stated, moving to the door. "I'll be back." He grinned, pulling out his phone. "I'll just make a few calls." And with that the Momoshiro actor was out the door.

Takigawa leaned his head back. "Moriyama-kun and his connections..." he muttered.

Kimeru crossed his arms, "This is the longest I've been in a hospital..." he said in annoyance.

"That's because you kept on escaping before," Yanagi pointed out. "Honestly...Fuji people…"

"And they classify Tezuka as stubborn," Takigawa pointed out, innocently looking away from Kimeru.

Kimeru shot him a glare. "I don't understand how other people can stand this place. It reeks of alcohol and medicine and everywhere you look it's as if the fact that you're sick or disabled is screaming at you," he muttered before lying back down and turning to his side.

"If you want to avoid this place, then stop being so reckless," Takigawa pointed out.

Kimeru pouted. "I don't intend to be reckless...trouble usually finds me..." he reasoned.

"Then just be more careful," Takigawa retorted.

Moriyama slipped back into the room, panting and held up a paper. "Got it..." he managed to say.

Kimeru blinked before recognizing the form. "Release form!" he said happily.

Yanagi shook his head. "Honestly Kime...sometimes you're just like a child."

Moriyama straightened up, pulled out a pen and headed over to Kimeru's bedside. "Be thankful I have numerous connections. It took me 4 calls to reason with the hospital to get this for you," he complained.

"He'll want to go watch Dream Live 4th, anyway," Takigawa stated randomly.

"Thanks~" Kimeru said as he read the document and signed it. "And my Eiji's right, I won't miss DL 4 for anything."

"Aibacchi will be giving his best," Takigawa said, nodding to himself. "So I guess showing our support by being there would be best..."

"He finally graduates," Kimeru said as he handed the paper back to Moriyama.

Yanagi nodded. "And soon it'll be the fourth cast's turn. Has Ueshima-sensei casted anyone yet?"

"Besides Furukawa-kun," Moriyama began. "I believe that-"

"Daisuke's been casted as Tezuka," Takigawa interjected.

"How nice, another Tezuka-Fuji couple," Yanagi said with a smirk.

Kimeru chuckled. "The only ones who broke from tradition is 3rd cast, I believe."

"That was because Aiba stayed on with the 3rd cast," Moriyama reminded him.

"True" Kimeru said, "How cruel. Tezuka has been denied of a Fuji," the singer said dramatically before grinning.

"That's why he turned to Echizen instead," Moriyama pointed out with a grin.

Yanagi nodded. "Gave Aiba and Shirota quite a hard time before that happened, though," he said.

Takigawa massaged the bridge of his nose. "Don't remind me..." he muttered.

Kimeru sighed before looking at the clock. "Well, one thing is for sure. They're all in for a nice surprise tomorrow when we go back home."

"Indeed they will," Takigawa agreed.

"Then if you guys want to go home, I suggest you guys sleep," Moriyama ordered, taking the release form and heading out the room.

Kimeru blinked. "Okay," he said before going under the blanket.

Yanagi grinned. "He really does want to leave."

Takigawa looked over to Kimeru, a small smile on his face. "That's just how he is..." he muttered in reply.

-break-

After dinner, Daisuke silently took the plates, telling the others that he'll take care of everything and that they should just go and rest.

Aiba looked at him, recognizing the fact that he was doing this to distract himself because of something. With a sigh, he opted to keep quiet about it thinking that the older had a good reason for it.

+++April 6, 2007+++

A few days had passed and soon it was the time of Dream Live 4th. Aiba was backstage in the meantime as Furukawa took his place for the first half of the show.

Shirota, Daisuke, Takigawa and Kimeru. Moriyama and Yanagi had decided to come and watch as well. Shirota, after having looked around the place, spotted a door that led backstage. Being able to move around without the crutches, Shirota got up and turned to the group. "I'll be right back," he announced and headed in the direction of the door.

-break-

Daisuke was seated directly beside Shirota, who had taken an aisle seat. Kimeru sat next to him and Takigawa next to Kimeru. The first Tezuka actor leaned forward to get a better look at Daisuke, outstretching his hand. "Congratulations on getting the part, Watanabe-kun," he said with a smile.

Daisuke shook Takigawa's hand and nodded his thanks. "I'll need to get a few pointers from you and Shirota-kun, though..." he admitted. "I've only seen a few episodes and they're mostly Echizen-centered...not to mention this is technically the first myu I'm sitting through," he explained.

Kimeru grinned. "I'll lend you my copy of the series, Daisuke."

"I can lend you a copy of the previous myus as well if you like," Takigawa suggested.

-break-

Aiba went out of the dressing room to go and watch the first half from the sidelines, keeping his attention on stage and talking to the other cast members as they made their entrance and exits.

-break-

"Shirota-kun. What can I help you with?" Ueshima inquired as soon as he spotted him.

"I need to talk with you during the first break, sensei. Now's not enough time," Shirota replied.

Ueshima checked his watch and nodded. "Then shall we meet in the storage room as soon as the first intermission is announced?"

Shirota nodded. "Hai," he affirmed before returning to the audience area with the others. He returned to his seat a bit before the show began with a small smile on his face. _'Hopefully this will be something to look forward to,'_ he thought to himself.

Takigawa, noticing Shirota's return, raised a curious eyebrow. "Where'd you go?"

"Oh, I just went to have a little chat with Ueshima-sensei," he replied truthfully.

-break-

As soon as they reached the first break of the first half of the show, Shirota excused himself again and headed off to meet with Ueshima once more at the storage room where Ueshima was waiting.

"Now what is it you wanted to talk to me-"

"I want to take part in the myu, Ueshima-sensei," Shirota interjected, closing the door behind him.

Ueshima blinked. "What?"

"The myu. I want to take part. Even if it's just for _'Dream Maker'_ with Aiba..." Shirota explained.

Ueshima smirked. "Couldn't take Minami-kun doing it with him?" he teased.

Shirota blushed and looked away. "Of course not! I have... my own reasons."

"And I trust that you know the lyrics?"

Shirota nodded. "I studied it," he confirmed.

"And your costume?"

Shirota held up a bag he brought along with him. "I brought my old one."

Ueshima looked at him for a long moment before nodding, pulling out a floor plan of the stage. "Then I'll give you a quick run-down of the blocking on-stage," the director said. After a few moments of explaining and pointing things out, he looked up to Shirota. "Think you can handle it?"

Shirota nodded. "No problem," he said brightly, bowing. "Arigatou gozaimasu, Ueshima-sensei."

"Ah. Aiba-kun and Minami-kun will be starting _'Yume wo Tsunage'_ right afterwards as a duet. Just the first stanza," Ueshima explained. "You might as well make the most of staying on-stage by doing that as well." He pointed to where he should be standing when Dream Maker ends, tracing a path to an area of the stage. "You'll be here singing that stanza before you leave the rest of the song to YOH-kun and the rest."

Shirota looked at it and nodded in understanding. "Alright."

"I'll take care of informing Minami-kun about it. Get dressed during the next intermission and I'll see you backstage," Ueshima said, rolling up the floor plans and patted Shirota on the shoulder.

Shirota nodded once more before heading to the door and back out to rejoin Daisuke and the others.

Kimeru blinked as he saw Shirota return. "Is it me or am I the only Fuji here?" he said randomly.

Daisuke looked at the group before realizing it as well. "Fuji's ultimate fantasy..." he muttered, causing Kimeru to hit him on the head.

-break-

Once it was Aiba's turn to go on stage he took a deep breath and waited on the second level of the stage. _'Dream Maker...'_ he thought with a frown.

Minami was also in position as well, not yet informed about the changes.

Takigawa smiled and pulled Kimeru close. "While that's true, you're mine," he said greedily.

Shirota smiled at this. _'My Fuji...'_ he thought to himself, turning his attention to the stage.

Ueshima, seeing that Aiba was on-stage already, went up to him. "Aiba-kun!" he called, you don't come out until Minami-kun finishes his solo," he reminded, gingerly pulling him to the wings. "Come on, come on." _'Can't let him see Shirota-kun.'_

-break-

As soon as the next intermission had progressed, Shirota excused himself again and quickly got dressed as fast as his leg could allow him. Lucky that his hair was already fixed to how he wanted it to look before coming to the show, Shirota went past the other cast members to the right wing. He moved up to Minami who was waiting at the side and brought an arm up and pushed the third Tezuka actor back. "I'm doing this segment," Shirota stated in his Tezuka voice, adjusting his prop glasses accordingly before the music instrumental of _'Dream Maker'_ began.

"E-eh?" Minami said as he was pushed to the side, looking at Ueshima for an explanation but decided to step back for the second cast actor.

Shirota walked forward into position as the lights started to illuminate, limping a bit into place before one of the spotlights shone on him to much excessive cheer and excitement.

-break-

"Shirotan?" Takigawa exclaimed from his seat, his mouth gaping, adjusting in his seat to get a better view.

Kimeru blinked as he watched Shirota come on stage. "That kid…" he muttered with a grin before glancing at the side of the stage.

-break-

Shirota began the song, along the way following the blocking exactly as Ueshima told him earlier.

"_Nemure wakaki shishi-tachi yo  
Mukidashi no kiba wo osamete  
Yasuragi no toki wa ima dake  
Nakama no neiki Iyashi no yasuragi  
Soshite Mabataki hodo no setsuna ni  
Arata na risou Tsumugidashiteiru  
Kimi wa DREAM MAKER_"

He reached the center of the lower stage, humming the last part and turned to where Aiba was supposed to be.

Aiba felt his jaw drop an inch when he saw Shirota come out instead of Minami. He was about to say something but held himself back, remembering that his mic was already on.

He shut his mouth and watched as the boy went down the stage with a slight limp. Shaking his head as a small smile formed on his lips, he waited for his cue and went out on stage.

_'Nemure yume wo miru tame ni  
Chibashitta hitomi fuujite  
Ochitsuita kodou kazoete  
Tsugi no shiai e Sou COUNTDOWN'_ he sang as he entered the stage, looking at Shirota before going down the stairs and joining him at the center.

Instead of retracing to the back for the proper blocking, Shirota stayed put so that he and Aiba were side by side as the two of them finished the song with a duet, the other regulars positioning themselves on the stairs to provide a nice ambiance of background vocals to the song.

"_Soshite hirameki matoi mezameru  
Arata na risou Jitsugen suru tame ni  
Kimi wa DREAM MAKER  
Kimi wa DREAM MAKER"_

When the song ended Shirota looked over to Aiba, his eyes smiling for him, his facade of Tezuka still in place as there was much applause and the lights dimmed to prepare for the next song. Shirota took his brief moment to kiss Aiba before pulling away and moving in place for the start of _Yume wo Tsunage_.

Aiba blushed as Shirota kissed him, catching the glances the rest of the cast were giving him.

-break-

When it was curtain call, Daisuke stood up and snuck into the backstage with the help of Ueshima. "Thank you Ueshima-sensei," he said as he went in the dressing room and placed a bouquet of roses on Furukawa's table before sneaking back into the audience.

Kenken spotted this on the way to the stage and blinked. "He and Furukawa are together aren't they? Why is it like he's courting him again?" he wondered.

Koji shrugged. "Let's go Kenken or we'll miss our cue!"

Furukawa patted Aiba on the shoulder as they stood side-by-side after giving their bows.

Ueshima approached the center of the stage and bowed to the huge audience, receiving warm applause as he straightened up. "Thank you for coming to see us today," he began with his usual grin. "Today, we accommodated an unplanned special guest appearance as you all may have noticed earlier on during the show," he said towards much cheer and screams of 'Shirota'. "Our special thanks to TeniMyu's second generation Tezuka Kunimitsu, Shirota Yuu!"

Shirota limped on-stage having already changed from his costume. He stayed at the sidelines to save him the trouble of walking the whole length of the stage and took a step forward and bowed.

Aiba looked at Shirota and smiled at him.

-break-

After the curtain call, the cast headed back to the dressing rooms to change. "What's the hold up?" Aiba asked the group of boys that crowded the door.

"Someone has an admirer," Minami answered as he pointed at Furukawa's desk.

Furukawa, having been the first to enter the dressing room, blinked in astonishment at the bouquet of roses on his table. A small, warm smile graced his lips as he picked it up, knowing who it came from. _'Daisuke...'_ he said, taking in the sweet scent of the flowers.

Daisuke waited by the door of the dressing room. Aiba looked at him and grinned before pointing inside the room. The older merely looked away.

"Hiro~ki!" Shirota called, wrapping his arms around his lover gingerly, minding the other's still healing arm and nuzzled him on the cheek. "Were you surprised?" he asked sheepishly.

Aiba smiled at him. "Of course I was," he answered. "But I'm glad you did it," he said as he placed an arm around Shirota's waist.

"Everything better now?" Shirota inquired. "With us?" he added in a whisper.

Aiba nodded. "Yes...everything is fine now," he said before kissing the Tezuka actor on the cheek.

Shirota beamed. "That's good to hear," he said brightly with a grin on his features. "Moriyama-senpai and Yanagi-kun will be staying over tonight, with Eiji-nii and Kime-nii to look after as well and all."

-break-

Furukawa set the flowers down and made his way through the crowd of people and got outside, spotting Daisuke and immediately wrapped his arms around him, a smile on his face. "Sankyu, Daisuke," he said, chuckling.

Daisuke nodded before returning the embrace. "You're welcome. I asked Moriyama-senpai to stay with Shirota and Aiba tonight," Daisuke said with a smile. "I'm taking you out for dinner."

"How flattering," Furukawa said sheepishly, pecking him on the cheek. "I'll just get changed then," he stated before returning to the dressing room.

Daisuke nodded as he leaned back against the wall and waited for his fiancé to come back.

Aiba looked at him and winked, causing the future Tezuka actor to look away in embarrassment.

Furukawa returned, having changed out of his Seigaku costume and carrying the bouquet of flowers and his things with him. "I'm ready," he declared.

Daisuke nodded at him and took the bag Furukawa was carrying. "Car's in the parking lot," he said before offering his arm. "Shall we?"

Furukawa nodded, taking Daisuke's arm. "We shall," he replied.

Daisuke smiled before leading the way towards the car. "I made reservations for that jazz themed restaurant you wanted to go to," he said offhandedly as they exited the building where the people were waiting to catch a glimpse of the actors as they left.

"You know just how to make my day, Watanabe Daisuke," Furukawa admitted as they headed off to the parking lot where the car was. "Arigatou."

Daisuke nodded as they went across the crowd, noticing a few shocked looks.

-break-

Shirota waved at them before turning to Aiba. "You should go change too!" he implied.

Aiba looked at his clothes before before blinking in embarrassment. "R-Right," he said before going back inside the dressing room to change.

Shirota watched as Aiba returned to the dressing room as he looked around. _'So Eiji-nii and Kime-nii will be looked after by Moriyama-senpai and Yanagi...'_ he thought to himself.

"Back!" Aiba announced as he exited the room with a wide grin, a backpack with all of his things on his shoulders. "Shall we go and meet up with the first generation people?" he inquired with a grin.

Shirota nodded, taking Aiba's hand and limping off to the parking area where Moriyama was waiting.

-break-

At the restaurant, Daisuke looked around once they were seated. "I'm just going to the bathroom," he said before standing up, taking note that the waitress had arrived with a menu just when he left. With a grin, he slipped towards the backstage. The jazz music started and the lead player went towards the mic at the center front of the stage.

"Tonight, we have a special guest joining us on stage. To sing us a song he dedicates to someone special to him, please welcome Watanabe Daisuke."

Daisuke stepped on stage bowing to the crowd before nodding the group. As the instrumental started, he kept his eyes trained on Furukawa.

_"We smiled, that's how it all started  
And you came right in time  
When I needed someone  
And we said hello  
Suddenly, my heart was beating fast_

_So it's you I've been waiting for so long  
So it's you, where were you all along  
Very special moments, these will always be with me  
We are here, you and I, we belong_

_We touched and we felt more beautiful  
Add two hands reachin' out  
Filled with so much longing  
It felt good inside  
There is no denying I'm in love_

_So it's you I've been waiting for so long  
So it's you, where were you all along  
Very special moments, these will always be with me  
We are here, you and I, we belong"_

_'To help you move on...to help you forget all that has happened in the past, I'll help you by reassuring you that I'm here in my own way. I'm not that good with words...so I'll let you feel it; what I intend to say instead,'_ Daisuke thought as the instrumental started, smiling serenley at his fiancé.

_"So it's you I've been waiting for so long  
So it's you, where were you all along  
Very special moments, these will always be with me  
We are here, you and I, we belong_

_We are here, you and I, we belong"_

Furukawa's eyes glistened with tears as he saw and listened to Daisuke sing on stage. With a serene smile, he silently got to his feet once the song ended, heading up to the stage and wrapped his arms around Daisuke affectionately.

Daisuke wrapped his arms around the actor, faintly noticing the applause of the crowd. Pulling away, he kissed Furukawa before leading him down from the stage. Once back at the table he looked at his fiancé. "What do you think?" he asked.

"You surprise me too much," Furukawa admitted with a smile. "But I suppose that's something I've come to love about you, Daisuke," he added. "I loved the song. And that you did all this for me. Arigatou." With that, he gave his lover another kiss, much to the delight of the people around them.

"You deserve all of it Yuuta, so you don't really have to thank me for it," Daisuke said in slight embarrassment, a smile still on his face. "So what did you order?" he asked as he took the menu in front of him.

"I was distracted to have ordered anything yet, actually..." Furukawa replied sheepishly.

Daisuke shook his head and grinned. "Honestly..." he said endearingly, "Alright, let's order now."

Furukawa laid the menu down. "Then order for the both of us," he suggested.

-break-

"One show down, Aibacchi," Kimeru said as soon as they got back home.

Aiba nodded. "I expect a more jam packed audience with what happened earlier," he said.

Shirota settled into the couch, heaving a big sigh of relief as he propped his leg up. "I can't wait until I can take off this cast!" he exclaimed, scratching the back of his head.

Takigawa settled into the armchair nearby, turning to Aiba and Kimeru. "That was actually unexpected. But I'm surprised you managed to keep your composure, Aibacchi. I'm impressed."

"Well...I had enough time to recover backstage," Aiba admitted with a small smile.

Kimeru chuckled. "At least you didn't start on stage like I did, ne?" he teased.

"You practically broke down on stage," Takigawa clarified.

Shirota nodded seriously, crossing his arms. "Still a big surprise in my book that Eiji-nii finished the song," he stated.

Kimeru muttered something incoherent before looking away.

Aiba chuckled but stopped when he remembered something. "Kime-nii! Your name!"

"What about it?"

"What is it?"

"KIMERU."

"No. Not that! Your real name."

At this point, Kimeru opted to close his mouth.

Immediately realizing the tension in the room, Shirota got to his feet.

"Shirotan?" Moriyama inquired, noticing the singer get up.

Shirota stretched his arms over his head before limping to the stairs. "I'll be going upstairs," he explained simply.

"What about dinner?" Moriyama pressed.

"I'll pass. Kind of sleepy already," he replied.

Aiba looked at Shirota and blinked before pouting. "I'll be going up as well, then. I'm really tired," he announced.

Kimeru sighed before scratching his head. "Sugihara Kazuko," he said flatly. "But technically it's Takigawa now."

Aiba turned around and stared at the J-Pop singer, not entirely expecting that he would just blurt it out like that.

"What? It's not like it's a big deal..." Kimeru muttered.

Takigawa got to his feet and approached Kimeru, smiling gently and pulled him into a light embrace, opting not to say anything anymore.

Aiba merely smiled and bowed before following Shirota upstairs.

Kimeru, a bit flustered about what happened, turned around and placed his arms around Takigawa. "I'm hungry..." he muttered distractedly.

"I'd offer to cook for you, but my present state won't allow that yet. At least not when they're around," Takigawa admitted, gesturing to Moriyama with an innocent smile.

"I'll whip something up," the Momoshiro actor announced, heading towards the kitchen.

"And I'll help!" Yanagi said before quickly following the Momoshiro actor, sensing that his two companions would want some time to themselves.

Kimeru watched them before sighing and pulling Takigawa closer and snuggling to him.

Takigawa winced slightly and eased Kimeru into the now vacant sofa with him. "Easy now… Remember, neither of us are 100% better yet," he reminded the J-Pop singer.

Kimeru nodded and leaned back on the couch, "At least we were able to leave that forsaken place..." he said. "I wonder what Daisuke's up to…" he wondered as he yawned.

Takigawa stroked Kimeru's hair, nodding in agreement. "Perhaps giving Furukawa-kun a good time?" he suggested.

-break-

Upstairs, Shirota had just limped over to the studio and was held up at the door when he took a good look around at the state of the room. His hand still gripping on the doorknob, his hold tightened. _'Because of me... Hiroki did all this...?'_ he thought to himself, spotting the broken objects and small shards of glass that remained cluttered up by the foot of the table and disorganized CDs out of its shelves.

"Yuu what's-...oh..." Aiba said as he walked over to Shirota. "I'll...get around to fixing it up," he said as he placed a hand on the singer's shoulder. "I didn't damage any important CDs, though...so you don't have to worry about that."

The grip on the doorknob slackened as Shirota looked over to Aiba, nodding. He transferred his hold from the doorknob to Aiba's good wrist and pulled him to their bedroom, limping and causing a slow progress. Once they were inside though, Shirota immediately closed the door and pulled his arms around Aiba before leaning back on the door, slowly sliding down stretching out his broken leg until he was seated, and Aiba practically kneeling. "I'm sorry... For making you react that way..." he muttered.

Aiba shook his head and smiled, placing an arm around Shirota. The Fuji actor spoke quietly. "It's alright Yuu...I'm the one who should be sorry for snapping like that and being so cold during the time you needed me the most."

A single tear escaped Shirota' eye, sliding down his cheek and moistened Aiba's shirt, saying nothing and only clung onto his lover a little bit tighter.

"Yuu…" Aiba whispered as he held Shirota closer, softly saying comforting words to him.

Shirota managed to settle himself down and slackened his hold on Aiba and finally released him from his grasp, composing himself accordingly. "Gomen..." he muttered before pushing himself to his feet by leaning onto the door.

"It's alright," Aiba said softly as he moved back a bit to look at him. "Now let's get you to bed. I don't want that leg getting numb."

Shirota merely nodded, practically hopping over to the bed and settled himself on it, giving off a sigh of relief.

Aiba chuckled before propping up a pillow for Shirota's leg. "I never thanked you today for coming to the myu," he said as he settled down on his side of the bed.

"I wanted to surprise you..." Shirota replied, taking another pillow and placing it over his face, muffling his next string of words. "My initial idea wouldn't work the same way..."

"Initial idea?" Aiba inquired curiously. "So Dream Maker wasn't the first thing that came to mind?"

Shirota lowered the pillow, averting his gaze. "It's nothing. Forget I mentioned anything."

Aiba pouted. "Alright, Yuu..." he said before looking at the clock. "Hey Yuu...are you sure you don't want me to get you anything to eat?" he asked.

"I'll be fine," Shirota pressed on, yawning.

"Alright then," Aiba said before slumping back.

-break-

Kimeru sat up suddenly, "I suddenly remembered something." he said as he stood up and went over to his bag that was at the side. "I really don't see the point why they insisted on doing an autopsy when I could have told them what happened instead." Pulling out an envelope he handed it to Takigawa. "I can't let my manager handle everything...They're my parent's not his. This was another reason why I wanted to get out of the hospital as soon as possible."

Takigawa blinked. "What's this?" he inquired, referring to the envelope handed to him.

Kimeru sighed. "Autopsy results," he said. "Looks like I wouldn't be able to relax just yet. I have to arrange the funeral..."

Takigawa gently pulled Kimeru to sit back down with him. "Then I'll help you," he offered.

Kimeru sighed. "It...would be very painful once they're put to rest..." he said softly.

Takigawa pulled Kimeru into a comforting embrace, rubbing the J-Pop singer's back. "I know... but if it was their time... Then we will have to learn to keep moving forward, Kime..."

Kimeru trembled slightly. "But _was_ it their time Eiji? They were killed...they didn't die of natural causes."

"I know..." Takigawa said his voice just a bit over a whisper now. "I know..." He paused for a moment thinking what to say. "We may never truly answer that question... But regardless of that fact, what's... happened has already happened. The least you can give them is a proper funeral."

Kimeru clutched to on Takgiawa's top, allowing a few tears to fall. "I never even got to say goodbye, Eiji..." he said with a trembling voice.

Takigawa consoled his partner before whispering, "This... isn't really goodbye, is it? Your parents will surely be watching over everything we do from now on... And will be keeping an eye out on things for us... Grieve all you want now and move on when you're ready to. Either way you go, I'll always be here by your side, Kime."

Kimeru nodded silently, trying to control himself from breaking down once again.

After managing to calm Kimeru down, Moriyama had called them to eat some of his and Yanagi's concoction of a simple tuna steak meal to which they all ate. Afterwards, the Momoshiro-Echizen pair helped the Tezuka-Fuji pair up to their room to bed.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED. :D

We look forward to your reviews and possible suggestions. :)


	22. Mourning Squabbles

**Title:** Anything for You

**Author/Artist:** snooperj & Bloodysamurai

**Series/Pairing(s):** TeniMyu; Mainly Takigawa Eiji x Kimeru, Shirota Yuu x Aiba Hiroki & Watanabe Daisuke x Furukawa Yuuta

**Notes:** Here is the 22nd chapter entitled **Mourning Squabbles**. Along with the second and final day of Dream Live 4th, Kimeru finally makes preparations for the funeral of his parents. Dreading the reaction of his relatives, the J-Pop singer plunges into it, Takigawa not far behind to provide him with the reassurance he needs. At the end of it all, Daisuke receives a blow of his own. This chapter details the events of April 7-8, 2007.

**ALSO! None of the authors of this roleplay/fanfic own TeniMyu or the actors, but are mere fangirls of the musical series and corresponding actors we write about. Everything that progresses in the story is the creation of our witty imaginations.

* * *

+++April 7, 2007+++

The following day, Aiba woke up early in the morning. With a yawn he got up from bed, careful not to wake Shirota up and went down to check if there was food available. "Watanabe-senpai must have come home late last night..." he muttered sleepily as he went down the stairs, smelling the scent of food in the air.

-break-

Takigawa managed to get up early, leaving the still sleeping Kimeru on their bed and headed down to the kitchen, deciding to make some breakfast for the residents of the house. He decided to just make some French toast this time around.

"A-re...Eiji-nii...are you even supposed to be up and about like that?" Aiba asked as he peeked in the kitchen.

Takigawa looked over his shoulder to Aiba before paying attention to what he was cooking. "I was good to be released from the hospital days before Kimeru would, but I stayed longer because I wanted to be discharged with him," he explained. "So a little housework isn't a difficult feat."

-break-

Kimeru woke up sleepily and blindly felt around for Takigawa. Frowning when he didn't find the man, he sat up and scratched his head. "Funeral arrangements..." he muttered to himself before grabbing his phone from under the bed.

-break-

Daisuke was the first to wake up among the two of them. It had been agreed upon that while they were staying at Shirota and Aiba's place, Furukawa would take Shirota's old bed and Daisuke, the futon on the floor. He didn't particularly complain about it, having suggested the set-up to his fiancé in the first place. He sat up, yawned and scratched his head sleepily, for a moment lost on where he was as his vision cleared up. "Shirota's room..." he muttered, yawning a second time before getting to his feet. "Breakfast..." he managed to say, yawning a third time and headed for the door.

-break-

"So you waited for Kime-nii..." Aiba said as he went straight to the fridge to pull out some water. "I'm not surprised..." A moment of silence passed. "Ne... How's Kime-nii coping?" he asked quietly.

Takigawa shook his head. "He's still a bit uneasy with everything..." Takigawa replied softly, finishing the French toast and transferred them to a serving plate. "It's his parents, after all..."

-break-

Daisuke descended the staircase and blinked, sniffing out the freshly cooked food emanating from the kitchen. _'Breakfast?'_ he thought to himself as he hurried downstairs and headed into the kitchen to see Takigawa and Aiba there. "Aren't you supposed to be resting?" he scolded with a frown.

Takigawa turned to Daisuke. "Not really," he replied with a shrug.

"And you made breakfast too..."

"Is something wrong with that?"

Daisuke shook his head. "Not particularly..."

Aiba looked at the two before blinking. "Er...I'll just be in the living room," he said before going out.

Both watched Aiba leave before they returned their attention to each other as Daisuke crossed the kitchen to the refridgerator to pull out a pitcher of orange juice.

"I assume you two came home late?" Takigawa inquired.

Daisuke moved to the counter, grabbing a glass and pouring some juice into it. "Aa," he replied simply.

-break-

Echizen squeaked as he reached the end of the blanket. Crawling over to Furukawa, the guinea pig started to nuzzle his neck.

"Nh..." Furukawa groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. "I'm up..." he mumbled as he reached for the animal who squeaked in approval.

-break-

Shirota shifted constantly in bed until realizing that his partner was missing from beside him. "Hiroki!" he exclaimed before sitting up. "Not here..." he muttered with a frown. He yawned before laying back down, grabbing a plushie and wanted to get some more rest. "Too early..." he muttered.

-break-

Furukawa yawned as he put on a shirt and left the room, Echizen perched on his shoulder. "Good morning," he greeted as he entered the kitchen. "Who else is-"

_THUD!_

-break-

Kimeru groaned as he sat up, rubbing his head. "I-te..." he muttered as he opened his eyes. He looked at the bed and frowned at it, as if blaming it for his misfortune of falling off it.

-break-

Takigawa greeted Furukawa in returning before they all heard the thud from upstairs. Frowning, Takigawa dashed out and up the stairs to their room, pushing open the door to find Kimeru on the floor by the bed and approached him. "Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

"Yes...I think my body doesn't know that I'm home..." Kimeru muttered, feeling a small bump on his head. "Ow..." he muttered before sitting up slowly.

Takigawa knelt down beside the J-Pop singer and leaned forward, kissing the bump before adjusting himself and kissed Kimeru on the forehead. "Do try and be careful... You're not 100% well yet, after all..."

Kimeru nodded before looking up at Takigawa. "I- We need to go out today...parents...funeral..."

Takigawa gently helped his lover up. "If you're making arrangements we can ask them to come here instead of you going out," he suggested.

Kimeru shook his head, "I want to see the place...besides...relatives would be coming as soon as everything is ready," he said as he shook his head to clear his mind.

"Alright..." Takigawa said after a while. "But let's have breakfast first, okay? I made French toast."

-break-

Daisuke looked at the ceiling, watched Takigawa leave before turning to his partner and approached him. "Got a good rest?" he inquired with a smile, offering his glass of orange juice to Furukawa.

Furukawa nodded before taking the glass. "Thank you," he said before drinking from it. "Were you able to make breakfast or did Takigawa beat you to it?" he teased lightly as he spotted the French toast.

Daisuke eyed said breakfast before moving to retrieve another glass for himself once more. "Unfortunately he beat me to it," he replied smoothly.

Chuckling slightly, Furukawa placed the empty glass on the sink before proceeding to set the table.

Daisuke frowned. "What?" he complained, following Furukawa to the table.

"Oh, it's nothing," Furukawa said with a smile as he faced Daisuke.

Daisuke averted his gaze and decided to transfer the food to the table, stepping back into the kitchen to retrieve Takigawa's French toast.

-break-

Kimeru nodded before looking at the clock. "Is everyone awake already?" he inquired as he moved to the door.

"I've seen everyone but Shirotan," Takigawa replied, following Kimeru out the door. "I'll go and check up on him," he stated, heading across the hall to the master bedroom and gently pushed the door open, slipping his head inside. "Shirotan?" he called, looking over to the bed to find the singer in question asleep on the king-size bed.

Shirota groaned, turning onto his other side on the bed, clutching onto his Aiba plushie. "Hiroki..." he grumbled sleepily.

-break-

Kimeru went downstairs and spotted Aiba in the living room. The singer looked at him and pointed his thumb upstairs and instantaneously the younger got to his feet and went back to his and Shirota's room.

"Let me, Eiji-nii…" he said as he slipped past the first generation actor. "Yuu..." he said as he crouched beside the bed and shook Shirota's shoulder gently to rouse him.

Shirota groaned. "Nn?" he slurred, rubbing his eyes. "Breakfast?" he muttered hopefully.

Takigawa nodded before slipping back out and headed downstairs with Kimeru to see that the table was already set. He nodded his thanks to both Daisuke and Furukawa. "Arigatou."

"You made breakfast... The least we could do," Daisuke reassured the Tezuka actor, pulling a chair back, offering it to Furukawa.

Furukawa thanked Daisuke before sitting down. Kimeru joined the group and sat at his usual place. "Where's Shirotan?" the singer asked as he glanced at the stairs.

"Right here," Aiba answered as he slowly descended the stairs with Shirota.

Shirota yawned. "Morning..." he managed to say, slowly heading down the stairs with one hand on Aiba's shoulder.

Takigawa nodded to them, returning from the kitchen with butter and syrup for their toasts before re-taking his seat beside Kimeru. "Good morning, Shirotan," he greeted.

Daisuke frowned. "Moriyama said you didn't have dinner last night," he pointed out, turning to Shirota.

"We didn't," Aiba answered for the two of them as he led Shirota to the table. "We were too tired to eat."

"Blasphemy..." Kimeru muttered when he heard this.

"Did you say something, Kime-nii?" Shirota asked, thanking Aiba before lowering himself into a chair at the table.

Takigawa shrugged, already spreading some butter on his toast. "Enough. Just eat," he instructed of the group.

Kimeru looked at Shirota, "Skipping meals is a crime," he said simply as he started on his breakfast.

"Kime, not everything and everyone follows your rule book," Furukawa reminded him. The first Fuji actor glared at him before turning his attention back to his food.

"Someone's in a bad mood today," Aiba noticed.

"You'd be too if you were in my shoes," Kimeru snapped.

Shirota distracted himself and looked down at his food.

"Kime, stop it," Takigawa demanded. "Not this early into the day, please."

"At least someone else killed your parents..." Daisuke muttered, stabbing a piece of his toast with his fork and stuffed it into his mouth. "It was inevitable, what happened to them..."

"Are you saying that they deserved it, Watanabe Daisuke?" Kimeru snapped, standing up from his seat and glaring at the future Tezuka actor.

"Kime-nii, you know that isn't what Watanabe-senpai meant..." Aiba said gently.

"Kimeru, please calm down. I know you're stressed and we don't want to antagonize you but please don't start taking it out on us," Furukawa reasoned.

"Then just shut up!" Kimeru said angrily before leaving the room and going upstairs, slamming the door of the guest room behind him.

Kimeru sat on the bed and sighed heavily. "Cocky piece of..." he muttered darkly.

-break-

Daisuke got to his feet as well. "I'll be going for a walk. I'll be back in an hour or two," he announced, heading for the front door, slipping on his shoes and jacket before leaving the house.

Takigawa set down his knife and set an elbow on the table, rubbing his temples. "Honestly..." he muttered.

"Daisuke! Wait!" Furukawa called out as he got up and quickly followed his fiancé out, grabbing his jacket and putting on his shoes along the way.

Aiba blinked before looking at his half finished breakfast. "...I guess the tension in this house isn't completely gone," he said before half-heartedly eating the toast again.

Shirota played with his toast as Kimeru, Daisuke and Furukawa left the table. "It's a touchy subject..." Shirota chimed in quietly.

Takigawa sighed roughly before getting to his feet. "I'll go and calm Kimeru down..." he stated before heading upstairs.

Aiba sighed as Takigawa left them as well, "I understand why they both snapped, though..." he said.

Shirota nodded in agreement. "Of all the times for this to happen..." he muttered.

Aiba nodded. "I guess they're both at extremely low points of their life right now...so we can't really blame them."

"Then let's hope Eiji-nii and Furukawa-senpai can do something about it..." Shirota said with a hopeful smile.

-break-

Daisuke walked briskly down the street, thrusting his hands into his pockets as he walked. _'How do you think __**I**__ feel with what I did, Kime?'_ he asked in annoyance.

Having finally caught up with Daisuke, Furukawa walked beside him quietly.

Daisuke sighed, noticing Furukawa had followed him, but decided not to say anything and just continued walking.

Furukawa glanced at him and casually placed a hand on Daisuke's arm.

-break-

Kimeru closed his eyes and slumped back on the bed.

Takigawa reached the guest room and knocked on the door. "Kime?"

"Come in," Kimeru said, eyes still closed.

Takigawa entered the room and approached the bed. Sitting down silently beside the J-Pop singer, Takigawa leaned back slightly, steadying himself with his palms on the bed slightly behind him and looked at the ceiling. "You need to remember that he's lost something as well, even if he hated him, Kime..." he started. "A family member is still a family member regardless if you hated them. It will tug at your heart..."

Kimeru turned to his side, his back on Takigawa. "I know..." he muttered.

-break-

Daisuke kept his gaze ahead as they walked, turning a corner. "Losing any of your family members is difficult, Yuuta. It leaves a scar on you regardless how you lost them..." he began. "How deep that scar is depends on how you perceive the loss to be..."

Furukawa nodded. "Yes, that's true," he said with a small smile. "But Daisuke, one has to remember that even if they lost someone precious to them, there are still those who remain to continue to be there for them."

Daisuke stopped walking and nodded. "I know..." he muttered in reply, clenching his fists. "Then why does Kime refuse to acknowledge that and insist on constantly thinking about it?" he demanded, slightly raising his voice.

"Because he hasn't accepted it yet," Furukawa said as he placed his hands around Daisuke's. "He just needs more time, Daisuke...not everyone is as strong as you are," he gently reminded him.

Daisuke averted his gaze, any other ill-mannered thoughts fleeing from his mind.

Furukawa wrapped his arms around his lover, "It's alright, Daisuke." he said, "Everyone has those moments...all we can do for now is hope for the best for our friend, ne?"

Daisuke nodded. "Shall we... head back?" he inquired softly.

Stepping back and nodding, Furukawa took Daisuke's hand and started their walk back.

-break-

Takigawa sighed. "If this is what you'd like to occupy yourself with, I won't stop you, Kime..." he said quietly, getting to his feet. "I just hope you remember one thing: that there are still a number of people who continue to care about you in the land of the living... especially me." With that, the Tezuka actor headed for the door to leave Kimeru to his thoughts.

Kimeru's hand grabbed Takigawa's wrist before he could take a step forward. "Stay..." he pleaded quietly.

Takigawa looked back over to Kimeru and nodded silently, moving back to the bed with the singer and wrapped his arms around Kimeru.

Kimeru moved closer to Takigawa, staring blankly at the actor's shirt.

-break-

Shirota, setting his utensils down, looked over to Aiba. "What do you think we should do now?" he asked after a look around the table at the half-eaten or barely touched food.

"We can spend some time together in the living room," Aiba suggested.

Shirota beamed before hastily getting to his feet, limping off to the living room. "That we shall!" he exclaimed.

Aiba chuckled before following him, glancing at the flight of stairs as he passed it.

Shirota lounged into one of the couches. "You and Furukawa-senpai have another DL4 tonight, right?" he inquired.

"Yes we do," Aiba said as he sat beside him. "I heard some of the past cast members would be watching tonight," he added with a smile. "…which means I will have to do my best for this performance too."

Shirota nodded. "We left you to lead the 3rd Seigaku cast when we graduated last year, after all," he stated.

Daisuke and Furukawa reached the house, opening the door. "We're back..." he announced.

"Wasn't easy, mind you," Aiba told him, "So I tried my best to keep everyone happy with you as my 'role model'," he added with a grin before looking at Furukawa and Daisuke. "Welcome back~" he greeted.

Furukawa smiled at them before glancing at the dining room and noticed the covered plates.

Shirota scratched the back of his head in mild embarrassment before turning to Daisuke and Furukawa, quickly lowering his hand. "Welcome back," he said, happy with the distraction.

Daisuke nodded to the pair before noticing the dining table. "Kime and Takigawa didn't finish their breakfast either?" he inquired.

Shirota shook his head. "They haven't come down yet."

Furukawa looked at the stairs. "I do hope that they're both alright."

"Kime-nii is with Eiji-nii, so I'm sure that they're fine," Aiba said. "Well...as fine as they could possibly be."

"Why don't you two finish your breakfast? It'll be a waste," Shirota inquired, gesturing to the dining table.

Daisuke turned his attention to it and nodded. "Perhaps we should, Yuuta."

Furukawa nodded, "Yes, Takigawa-kun went through all the trouble of making it, after all," he said before going over to the dining table to finish his breakfast.

Daisuke nodded silently before following Furukawa to the table.

Shirota watched them before turning his attention to the ceiling. _'I wonder when they decide to come downstairs...'_ he thought.

Aiba followed Shirota's gaze to the ceiling. "I'm guessing they fell asleep," he said.

"Most probably," Shirota said out loud.

-break-

Upstairs, Kimeru yawned as he blinked himself awake. "Eiji..." he muttered, half-heartedly shaking Takigawa so that he would wake up. "Eiji..."

Takigawa, who didn't realize he had fallen asleep, groaned as he was shaken by Kimeru, turned on his side before falling off the bed with a 'thud'. "Ow..." he moaned, sitting up and rubbing his head.

-break-

Daisuke, having just finished his food, looked up upon hearing the thud from upstairs. He shrugged and got to his feet, taking his empty plate and proceeded to bring it to the kitchen. "Kime or Takigawa fell off their bed," Daisuke predicted.

"Kimeru."

"Kime-nii," Furukawa and Aiba said at the same time before looking at one another.

"Eiji-nii," Shirota guessed.

Daisuke turned to Shirota just before he disappeared into the kitchen. "Why do you think Takigawa fell?" he inquired.

"A hunch," was the singer's reply.

-break-

"Eiji!" Kimeru exclaimed as he jumped off the bed and went to his partner's side. Helping Takigawa up, Kimeru smiled a bit, "Now you know what I woke up to," he teased lightly.

Takigawa frowned, rubbing his head. "That was only because you were shaking me..." he defended.

"Gomen," Kimeru said before slightly bowing his head. "But-" he was cut off as he heard his phone ring. "Kimeru..." he answered before listening to the speaker on the other end. "I see...alright then...give me an hour I'll be right there," he said before ending the call with a sigh.

"What is it?" Takigawa inquired with a frown.

"Everything is set for the funeral…" he said. "My manager said that my relatives were already there."

"This early in the day?" Takigawa asked incredulously.

Kimeru nodded, "That's kind of my fault...I gave the go signal..." he said before standing up. "I guess it's time the black sheep of the family shows up once again," he added with a frown.

"You know you're not going there on your own," Takigawa pointed out to his partner as he too got to his feet. "I'm coming with you."

Kimeru looked at him and smiled. "I know but be prepared to talk to a lot of my relatives."

Takigawa crossed the room to the closet. "I figured I would," he replied.

"I'll try to keep them off you," Kimeru promised him as he followed Takigawa to the walk-in closet and pulled out something suitable, not the usual flashy things he wore nor was it too simple, to wear.

"I don't mind. I haven't exactly met much of your other relatives before, after all," Takigawa pointed out, pulling out something to wear.

"True..." Kimeru said. "They didn't want to approach us during our wedding back then…" he mused as he finished dressing. "Does this look suitable enough?" he asked as he stepped in front of Takigawa and did a little twirl.

Takigawa, having finished putting a tie on, looked over to Kimeru and nodded his approval. "Yes, that seems suitable enough, Kime."

Kimeru sighed. "Let's go then..." he said before pulling the door open, blinking when he saw Furukawa there holding two bento boxes.

"I heard what you were talking about. Trust me, you'll need this by the afternoon," he said before placing them in the singer's hands.

"Just make sure they don't go to waste..." Daisuke pointed out, leaning on the wall by the door, his arms crossed in front of him.

Takigawa managed a smirk. "We appreciate the thought Furukawa... Daisuke," he thanked, nodding to the two.

Daisuke turned away from Takigawa's near-compliment.

"It's no big deal," Furukawa said with a smile. "Now go finish whatever's left of your breakfast before heading out."

As if on cue, Kimeru heard his stomach growl. Blushing profusely, the singer silently headed downstairs.

Takigawa patted Daisuke on the shoulder, nodded to Furukawa and followed Kimeru downstairs.

Daisuke watched the pair descend the staircase before heading to their own room. "Remind me again why I hated that guy..." he muttered.

"Because of the fact that you didn't want him to be with Kimeru so that our friend could spend more time with us than with him?" Furukawa suggested.

-break-

"A-re? Why are you two dressed up?" Aiba asked once he spotted the pair.

"My parent's funeral," Kimeru answered as he sat down on the dining table.

Shirota frowned. "Pretty early to be having a funeral..." he noted.

Takigawa shrugged his shoulders and joined Kimeru at the table. "That's what I said as well."

"Some of my relatives are too busy with their lives...I guess they're just making time to say...goodbye..." Kimeru said, having a hard time getting the last word out.

Takigawa patted Kimeru on the shoulder reassuringly.

Aiba observed the two for a while before thinking. "Ne, Kime-nii, would you want us to visit after the myu tonight?"

"Wouldn't that be too late during the evening?" Kimeru asked.

Aiba shook his head. "It's alright. I'm sure Furukawa would also agree."

"Watanabe-senpai and I will join with them," Shirota suggested.

Kimeru smiled at the two. "Thanks you guys," he said.

-break-

Daisuke opened the door to their room and entered. _'I'm surprised I'm not feeling the same way anymore...'_ he thought to himself as he moved to the bed and plopped down onto it.

Furukawa sat on the bed and patted him on the head. "Dai-su-ke~" he said.

Daisuke groaned in reply, bringing both hands to his head.

Furukawa chuckled before lying down beside him. "It's not so bad."

Daisuke turned to Furukawa. "What's not?"

"Your little rivalry with him back in Senior High. I mean...you're making up for lost time aren't you?" Furukawa chided.

Daisuke groaned. "He's not so bad to begin with..." he muttered into a pillow. "He was with Kimeru at the time and I didn't sit well with it because he was taking Kimeru away from us... That's all..."

Furukawa chuckled and cuddled his fiancé. "Quite understandable."

"I need to ask him for tips as well..." Daisuke muttered.

"I'm sure he'll be able to give you good ones. First cast is a legend, after all," Furukawa said.

Daisuke nodded, burying his face in the pillow.

-break-

Takigawa checked his watch. "We should get going, Kime," he suggested, opening the door after slipping his shoes on and pulling on his jacket.

"Give us the address and we'll head there right after," Shirota pointed out.

Kimeru nodded before pulling out his phone and sending a message to the both of them. "There. That way you won't lose it. See you later!" he said before following Takigawa out.

Shirota waved, pulling out his phone as soon as he received Kimeru's message. "Oh, this isn't far from the concert hall," he pointed out.

Aiba nodded. "We can get here as soon as the myu tonight is finished," he said with a smile. "Now all's left is that we tell Furukawa and Watanabe-senpai."

Shirota nodded. "But I'm sure they'll be having time to themselves up there," he supposed. "Why don't you and I have some time to ourselves right here?" he chided with a grin.

Aiba grinned back. "It's not all the time we're left alone lately, so why not?"

"I'll try not to bother your arm too much," Shirota promised.

Aiba looked at his arm and shrugged. "It's not that painful to move around anymore anyway," he said before moving closer to Shirota.

"Well, neither is my leg but that's not something we should be ignoring either," Shirota said with a grin.

Aiba looked at Shirota's leg for a while before nodding. "Can we skip the disclaimers now?"

Shirota chuckled before reaching out to clasp Aiba's chin and leaned forward to kiss him.

-break-

Takigawa parked the car outside the venue where the funeral was going to take place. He turned the engine off and leaned back on his seat for a moment before turning to Kimeru. "Are you ready?"

Taking a deep breath Kimeru nodded before stepping out. Once by the door, he took Takigawa's hand and stepped inside.

"Kazuko!"

"Kazu-nii!"

"Kazu!"

Various exclamations were heard at the same time, Kimeru blinked in confusion as he was suddenly enveloped in hugs. "E-Eh...?"

"So you must be Takigawa Eiji-kun. I apologize for not attending your ceremony. Business led me elsewhere at the moment," one of Kimeru's uncles, Akito, said with a slight nod.

Takigawa nodded in response. "Ah, it's no problem at all," he reassured the uncle.

"If there's any-" Before Akito could finish his sentence Takigawa was suddenly pulled off by another of Kimeru's uncles.

Kimeru was feeling dizzy when more of them approached him. Stepping back he raised a hand. "Please...if you want to hear what happened, you all need to quiet down," he said and instantly, they all did and turned his attention to him.

"It's like thi-"

The door slammed open, and a woman, Sugihara Chihiro, the sister of Kimeru's mother, barged in the room and hastily walked over to Kimeru and slapped him forcefully across the cheek. "This is all your fault," she spat.

Takigawa's eyes widened as the woman slapped his lover across the cheek. _'What the...'_ On instinct, the Tezuka actor strode forward to steady Kimeru. "Are you alright?" he whispered.

Kimeru looked down, not saying anything.

"We have told you countless times to stay away from that profession of yours!" Chihiro said angrily. "But you just won't listen! And now look where your decision led! You sent your parents straight to their graves!" Turning her attention to Takigawa, her anger flared up even more. "And going against the norms of society to marry this...this _man_...you should be ashamed of what you did!"

"If I may, I don't hear anybody else complaining," Takigawa piped up. "Kime shouldn't be blamed for something he couldn't control. _He_ was severely injured and is still recovering because of what happened. And since when have we all stuck to the belief that everything should be according to what's ethical and acceptable in our society?"

Chihiro glared at him. "I don't believe you have the right to speak up in here. You're not a member of this family."

"Actually he is..." Akito said calmly as he walked over. "Have you forgotten that despite you disagreeing with everything, Takigawa-kun here is married to Kazuko?"

Takigawa wrapped an arm around Kimeru and pulled him close. "We do not seek everyone's approval of our marriage. We understand that some like you will disapprove because we both are clearly men. But I have fallen in love with Kazuko and there is nobody else here who will convince me otherwise. I will stay with him through anything and everything even if I have to die for him," he defended.

"Spoken like a fool," Chihiro said before turning around. "Very well, continue to live in this sick world of yours," she said before marching off.

Akito grinned and patted Takigawa on the shoulder. "Impressive, Takigawa-kun," he said with a satisfied nod. "I believe we can have a more solemn atmosphere now that the hag is gone. Now if you'd kindly release Kazuko so that we can hear what happened."

Takigawa turned to Akito and nodded. "H...Hai..." he replied, releasing his grip on Kimeru and taking a step back.

-break-

Meanwhile, back at the Shirota-Aiba residence, Daisuke had gone downstairs to prepare lunch a bit after his alone time with Furukawa.

Furukawa streatched before following his lover downstairs, "Eh?" he said quietly as he looked at the second generation actors in the living room.

Daisuke, finding time to step out into the living room, spotted Furukawa taking notice of the pair before dragging him into the kitchen.

Furukawa blinked as he was dragged away. "Glad to see that the two are finding a way around their injuries..."

Daisuke nodded before holding out some lettuce to his partner. "Chop these for me, would you?" he said distractedly, heading to the stove to return to what he was cooking.

Furukawa nodded. "Gladly," he answered as he took a knife and started his chore.

-break-

Once more, the people gathered around to hear the story. Everyone was silent after, either contemplating or comforting Kimeru who smiled at them, averting their gazes. Soon, the people inside slowly left, leaving a few friends of Kimeru's parents and the two actors in the room. Kimeru sat on the front row of the seats, sadly looking at the two caskets.

Takigawa kept his distance, seeing off the people who left by the door of the room until only a few remained. Checking the time and finding it to be around early afternoon now, he went into the inner room and pulled out the bento boxes and brought it over to Kimeru. "Care to have some lunch?" he offered quietly.

Kimeru looked at the food and sighed. "A bit later...you go on ahead," he said quietly.

"I'll wait for you then," Takigawa offered, stashing the bentos away and joined Kimeru in the front row.

Kimeru nodded gratefully before leaning back on the chair with a sigh. "What happens next, Eiji?" he asked softly.

"Whatever you decide..." Takigawa replied softly. "The next step of your journey is yours to take, after all."

Kimeru sighed again before closing his eyes. "It'll be hard to take a step forward now that I know they won't be behind me like before..." he started. "But...I still have you so I know that everything's going to be fine eventually."

Takigawa nodded and wrapped his arms around Kimeru. _'Then if that's the case... I'll need to make a phone call to my parents...'_ he thought to himself.

Kimeru opened his eyes and smiled. "Let's see what Furukawa packed for us."

Takigawa smiled, kissing Kimeru on the forehead before getting to his feet to retrieve the bento boxes a second time and returned with them.

Kimeru carefully opened the box and blinked at the smiling face that was revealed. "Honestly...that guy..."

Takigawa opened his own box and tried to hold back a laugh. _'I'm surprised there'll still people who do these kinds of things...'_ he thought to himself.

-break-

Daisuke finished the chicken teriyaki he had prepared before turning to Furukawa. "Are you done with the lettuce?" he inquired.

"Hai," Furukawa answered as he handed Daisuke the plate with the chopped lettuce.

Daisuke took it and returned to the stove, dumping the chopped lettuce into a pan and began stir frying it.

"You know, you never told me where you honed your cooking skills," Furukawa stated casually as he leaned on a counter.

"I just didn't want you to do all the cooking for us so I taught myself when I had the time..." Daisuke answered.

Furukawa smiled. "So _that's_ why you insisted in helping my mother out in the kitchen during those days that she was home."

Daisuke nodded distractedly, finishing the stir fry and transferred all the dishes to serving plates.

"Shall I call the two in the living room?" Furukawa offered.

"You should," Daisuke replied with an affirmative nod, taking the plates out to set the table.

"Aiba...Shirota...lunch is ready." Furukawa called out to the two who didn't seem to hear him. Shaking his head he walked over to them, stopping near the cages of the guinea pigs. "Shirota...Aiba," he tried again.

Shirota pushed himself up and off Aiba. "Who? What? Where? Wha?" he cried out, spotting Furukawa and sighing. "Oh..."

Aiba blushed as he looked at Furukawa, "Lunch?" he asked.

"Lunch," Furukawa said with a nod.

Daisuke had finished setting up the table and transferred the food to the center of the table before finally deeming it safe to look over to the younger pair. "Next time, try doing it in your own room," he muttered before taking his seat.

Shirota limped over to the table and looked away. "It was too much of a hassle to go upstairs."

"Then the study," Daisuke argued.

Shirota glanced over to said room and shrugged. "What's done is done. Can we eat now?"

Furukawa patted Daisuke on the shoulder. "Daisuke, it's their house anyway so it's alright," he reminded him.

"Still... We're here too..." Daisuke argued his last point before offering some lettuce stir fry and chicken teriyaki to the others.

Furukawa looked at Daisuke with a small smile before dropping the topic and sitting down.

Aiba looked at the two before taking a serving of the food. _'Someone's apparently deprived,'_ he thought.

Shirota partook of the food and blinked. "This stir fry is cooked differently..." he pointed out.

"I just cooked it with a little wine, that's all..." Daisuke said.

"No wonder..."

Aiba looked at the food, "Original recipe?" he inquired.

Daisuke looked over to Aiba. "Just the choice of wine," he supplied.

"Sou... Ne, Watanabe-senpai. Did Kime-nii tell you that we'll be visiting them tonight?" the younger inquired.

Daisuke shook his head. "You two were the ones who saw them off," he pointed out with a frown.

"We can go there after the Dream Live tonight," Shirota pointed out.

Aiba nodded. "Kime-nii needs moral support," he said.

Furukawa chuckled. "Of course he does."

"Then we'll go later..." Daisuke replied simply. "And if you guys can finish your meals, we can clean up and prepare to leave for the myu."

"One I can watch in full this time," Shirota added.

"Hai~" Aiba said as he finished his food.

Furukawa chuckled. "I'm surprised that the media hasn't taken the chance to cover this piece of news yet."

"Which one: About Kime-nii's parents or my sudden guest appearance?" Shirota inquired.

"Both," Furukawa answered with a chuckle.

"Then we should make sure to avoid the press on our way over there..." Daisuke proposed.

"You know, sooner or later, the press will be hounding you as well once they find out you're set to take on the role of Tezuka, Watanabe-senpai," Shirota teased.

"That and the fact that another TezuFuji couple lives on," Aiba said with a smile.

"I'm sure we can handle them," Furukawa said lightly.

"Then you shouldn't be all too worried about the press now, Watanabe-senpai," Shirota concluded.

Daisuke shrugged. "Oh alright," he said in defeat. "I still want us to leave as soon as everyone's ready."

"I'll go get my costume ready," Aiba announced as he got up.

"Aren't you going to do the same, Furukawa-senpai?" Shirota inquired.

Furukawa shook his head, "Mine has been taken to the car for one reason or another." he said as he glanced at Daisuke.

Daisuke noticed his partner looking over to him as he took his last bite and got to his feet. "I'll clear up here. You should go get ready Yuuta," he instructed distractedly, taking a few plates and headed to the kitchen.

Shirota watched this and chuckled.

"Hai~" Furukawa answered as he got up and went upstairs.

Shirota rose to his feet, took a few empty plates and headed over to the kitchen. "Here you go, Watanabe-senpai," he offered.

Daisuke frowned, switching off the water from the sink and took the plates. "You should really be resting the leg of yours..." he argued. "The cast will be coming off in a few months, won't it?"

Shirota nodded. "But I don't want to be completely helpless in my own household," the boy fired back with a smile before heading back out to retrieve more plates.

Coming down moments later with a backpack, Furukawa closely behind him, the two Fuji actors peeked in the kitchen. "We're ready," they announced smiling nearly identical smiles.

Together, Daisuke and Shirota finished with the dishes much earlier than expected. Seeing the two Fuji actors appear, Daisuke headed past them, car keys in hand. "Let's go, then."

Shirota waved. "See you later!" he called.

Daisuke blinked, turning around and returning to the kitchen and dragged Shirota up and to the door. "You're coming with us, remember?"

"Eh? But what are we supposed to do there while it's so early?" he complained.

"We'll think of something. Now get your shoes on Shirotan," he instructed, looking to the other two. "Yuuta, Aibacchi, let's go!"

Pointing to himself, Aiba blinked. "Did he just call me..."

"Aibacchi," Furukawa finished for him with a wide smile before they followed Daisuke out

"Since when did you...?" Shirota inquired incredulously after being shoved into the car.

"Because I thought I'd try it," Daisuke finished, getting into the driver's seat.

Furukawa got in the passenger's seat as soon as Aiba was at the back with Shirota.

As they drove off to the theater, Furukawa remembered something. "Before I forget, I don't want anyone in the studio room yet, yes even you Daisuke; there are still a lot of broken shards left there."

Aiba turned red and looked away in embarrassment when he heard this.

Daisuke looked in the rear-view mirror to Aiba as they reached an intersection before returning his gaze to the road.

Shirota reached out to Aiba and patted him on the arm, giving him a reassuring smile.

Aiba smiled back. "I'll help cleaning it up once we have the proper time to," he said.

"For now you worry about your concert," Daisuke instructed as he drove off.

-break-

In minutes, the foursome arrived at the place as Furukawa and Aiba went backstage while Daisuke and Shirota went to the VIP booth where they joined a few other former Tenimyu actors who came to watch.

"Shirotan, how are you doing?" Zukki called as son as he spotted him.

"Takigawa and Kimeru not with you?" Sota inquired.

Shirota eased himself to a chair with a shake of his head. "They're at Kime-nii's parents' funeral," he replied as the room became silent. Noticing this, he brought his hands up and pulled on Daisuke's wrist. "By the way, I want to introduce you all to the fourth cast's new Tezuka Kunimitsu," he said, trying to change the topic.

-break-

"The Fujis are here," Sakurada announced as soon as Furukawa and Aiba were in the room.

Aiba resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he made a beeline towards his table to get ready.

"I can help you with the hair iron," Furukawa offered as he sat down beside the other.

"Yes please."

-break-

Tuti raised his eyebrows. "Really?" the Oishi actor inquired.

Daisuke nodded sheepishly. "That's right..."

Kujirai grinned. "You're Furukawa's boyfriend, aren't you?" he asked.

"Fiancé," the man corrected.

Shirota, seeing the others quiet down, nodded in acknowledgement.

-break-

Finally done with their hair and makeup, Furukawa was first to change into his Fuji costume. "Aiba, changing room is all y-" he blinked as he saw the other Fuji actor watching two guinea pigs run around the room.

With a smile, he approached him. "Kunisuke and Momo?" he asked and Aiba nodded. The taller moved to his bag and gingerly opened it and instantly another guinea pig jumped out and joined the ruckus.

"You put him in your bag?" Minami exclaimed in disbelief.

Furukawa chuckled. "My bag is very breathable Minami-kun...besides Daisuke wouldn't let me take him along if he noticed."

"A little reunion of the siblings," Sakurada pointed out with a grin as he adjusted his Echizen hat. "All that's missing are the parents."

"They didn't want to come out of the cage..." Aiba explained. "I guess they prefer to be alone for a while."

"Well, that's sort of understandable..." Sakurada pointed out.

Furukawa chuckled as he watched the three slip out of the room. "Uh oh...we better get them before Daisuke sees them."

-break-

Daisuke, now feeling a bit less uncomfortable around the former TeniMyu actors he was with, sat himself down beside Shirota and engaged in a lively conversation with Sota and Tuti, both of whom were already starting to give him pointers.

The three guinea pigs sniffed around the hall before zooming inside the VIP booth where the others were.

Aiba, Furukawa and Minami halted when they realized this.

"That can't be good..." Sakurada said, stating the obvious as he joined the other three in the chase after the guinea pigs.

Shirota was conversing with Araki and Zukki about something before Kujirai spoke up.

"Why are there guinea pigs in here?"

"Eh?" Shirota turned his attention to where Kujirai was before spotting the three familiar guinea pigs. "EEEEEHH? Kunisuke? Momo? And Echizen too?"

Daisuke quickly turned his head around upon hearing about the guinea pigs. He groaned, sighing inwardly. _'It couldn't be helped now could it?'_ he thought to himself.

Furukawa smiled sheepishly as he grabbed Echizen while the other two ran from his reach. "Sorry about the intrusion," he said.

Aiba waved at the former cast and Minami chased after the animals.

Both Kunisuke and Momo ran around a few times, Minami hot on their heels before they scuttled up Shirota's leg, nuzzling him as soon as they reached his neck, causing him to chuckle.

"Yes, I miss you guys too!" he exclaimed.

Sakurada watched Minami run around for a while. "Well, that's a familiar scene," he mused.

Minami leaned on the wall, panting. "Don't remind me..." he muttered.

Aiba chuckled as he went towards Shirota. "Reunion," was all he said before glancing at Furukawa who was smiling sweetly at Daisuke.

Shirota nodded over to Aiba as soon as he managed to control himself from chuckling too much.

"Enjoying yourself?" the taller Fuji actor asked.

Daisuke looked from Echizen to Furukawa before nodding, averting his gaze shyly.

"Good luck later you guys," Tuti said, grinning over to the current actors.

"This will be your last Dream Live Aibacchi, so give it your best!" Araki encouraged.

"Third cast will have the Second Service of Rikkai as their graduating myu, so we expect great things for that," Sota stated.

"You can count on us!" Aiba said with a smile. "Furukawa and I will do our best." Furukawa nodded in agreement.

Sakurada looked down at his watch. "We should be getting on stage soon you guys," he announced.

"You can leave the three with us," Daisuke suggested, getting to his feet and approached Furukawa, plucking Echizen from the actor's hands. "Just so you don't have anything to worry about while you're doing the Dream Live," he added.

"I don't mind," Shirota agreed.

Furukawa nodded and kissed Daisuke on the cheek. "See you later," he said before leaving with the third cast actors.

The first and second cast actors who were present watched Furukawa leave before they simultaneously shifted their attention to Daisuke.

Shirota arranged the guinea pigs accordingly on his shoulders as Aiba left.

-break-

Furukawa chuckled to himself as he headed towards the side of the stage where the Seigaku group was starting to huddle.

"I'll be able to do the '_Dream Maker'_ part this time around, right?" Minami asked and Aiba nodded.

"Yuu's just going to watch at their spot today," Aiba confirmed.

Sakurada patted Minami on the shoulder. "Someone was tripping for not being able to do it yesterday," he teased. "Ne, Keisuke?"

Minami looked away. "Who was?" he said distractedly as he joined the huddle.

Sakurada smirked before moving up to the huddle as well.

Aiba looked around and smiled. "Alright, no surprises this time. Let's do our best for this show as well." The rest nodded. "Yosh, let's go impress that crowd!"

A few minutes later, the second run of DL4 finally started.

-break-

Kunisuke and Momo settled themselves on each of Shirota's shoulders while Echizen, on Daisuke's head.

Everyone in the VIP room sat down in their respective seats as the opening overture started the Dream Live, much to the cheer of the rest of the audience.

Aiba watched from the sidelines, a smile almost plastered on his face as he watched the third cast in action.

Furukawa glanced at Daisuke from time to time as he preformed. Minami, feeling a very dangerous aura aimed towards him during some scenes, had to stop himself from shuddering.

Daisuke smiled towards Furukawa as he caught his gaze. Watching the musical the second time around allowed him to make some assessments and took mental notes of things he could use for when he himself was sharing the stage with Furukawa.

-break-

Kimeru looked at his watch and sighed heavily. "The myu has already started," he said in dismay as he leaned back on the chair, pulling out a piece of candy from the tray that was intended for guests. He chewed on it for a while before standing up to approach his parent's coffins and gazed at them sadly.

"Takigawa-san..." a voice whispered over to the actor. Kimeru's manager sat down behind him, handing an envelope. "The will of Kimeru's parents," he explained.

Takigawa looked over to the manager for a moment before nodding, taking the envelope. "Thank you..." He examined it for a moment before opening it, pulling the paper out and unfolded it, reading it for a moment before his eyes widened.

Kimeru looked behind him and noticed this. "What's that?" he asked as he took the paper and read its contents..."Everything?" he said in shock as he sat down. "Ours?"

Takigawa nodded dumbly as he stood, approaching the caskets and gave the pair a low and respectable bow. "A...Arigatou gozaimasu!" _'I promise to take care of your son with absolutely everything that I am...'_

Kimeru approached the caskets and smiled before bowing slowly beside his partner. _'Thank you so much...for everything...'_ he thought solemnly before straightening up, taking Takigawa's hand into his own. He looked at the taller man, still smiling. "What are we going to do with two houses?" he asked lightly.

Takigawa straightened up and turned to Kimeru. "Rent it out?" he suggested.

"That's an option since I don't really want to sell it…" Kimeru answered as he led Takigawa back to the chairs. He nodded to his manager in thanks before the man nodded back and left. "Eiji..." he said before suddenly placing his arms around the other, sighing to himself, the smile not leaving his features.

Takigawa bent over and kissed Kimeru on the head as the singer wrapped his arms around him. "I love you too, Kazuko."

Kimeru chuckled as he noted that Takigawa had once again decoded what he wanted to say, without actually saying much. Feeling a lot better, he placed his head on the other's shoulder.

Takigawa eased them onto some chair before stroking through Kimeru's hair. "About this time, Aiba should be on-stage now..." he supposed.

-break-

Sure enough, the second half of the Dream Live was well under way, opening with _'Dream Maker'_.

Aiba watched Minami sing his part and go down the stage, finding the feeling a bit alien-ish.

Furukawa lightly patted him on the shoulder and gave him a thumbs-up sign which he returned before moving on stage to start his performance.

As Aiba appeared on-stage to much cheer, Shirota smiled serenely as he watched his partner give his best performance as he usually did.

It was at this moment did Kunisuke decide to nibble on Shirota's ear, causing him to hiss and scold the guinea pig for disturbing his watching Aiba.

Once the lights faded out and the rest got ready for '_Yume no Tsunage'_, Aiba chanced a glance towards the VIP area and smiled at the sight of Shirota with two of the guinea soon as he lights went back on, his gaze was turned towards the audience.

-break-

After another round of adlibs, songs and dance numbers, the Dream Live finally reached its end. The cast members huddled and congratulated each other on a job well done before parting ways. Those in the VIP room stayed, deciding to join Shirota, Aiba, Daisuke and Furukawa to pay respects to Kimeru's parents, as well as see Kimeru and Takigawa.

Shirota kept the two guinea pigs in check, while Echizen was perched on Daisuke's shoulder, napping.

Soon, the two Fuji actors joined the group. "Ueshima-sensei said that he'd be coming with us," Furukawa informed them.

"It wouldn't be complete without him," Shirota said with a grin.

"Shall we head off?" Daisuke inquired.

At that moment, Ueshima slid into view, nodding to the group. "Who am I riding with?" he inquired eagerly.

"You can ride with u-"

"You need to prop your leg up already so no," Daisuke interrupted the second Tezuka actor.

"We have space, Ueshima-sensei," Sota offered. "Naoya's driving, and Araki and Kujirai are with us."

"The InuiKaidoh pairs..." Ueshima stated, scratching his chin in mock contemplation.

"What's there to be considering?" Kujirai defended.

Ueshima chuckled. "Nothing, I'm only joking. Well, let's go, then!"

And with that, everybody headed to their cars, with Daisuke leading the way care of the address Shirota and Aiba had on their phones.

-break-

Kimeru, who was talking to one of his cousins, looked up when he saw noticed some people enter the room. He smiled when he saw his former cast mates along with the other myu actors and their director. Excusing himself he stood up and headed over to them. "Hey guys..." he greeted as he approached them.

Takigawa returned from the inner room, cleaning a few things before he spotted the group of people and immediately recognized them, nodding his greeting to them. "Nice to see you all again," he said, walking up to them.

"Our condolences, Kimeru-kun," Ueshima stated, holding out a huge bouquet of flowers he purchased at a flower shop he urged Naoya to stop at before they arrived. "From all of us."

"Thank you..." Kimeru said with a smile as he took the flowers. "Please have a seat," he said as he gestured over to the chairs. "I'll just put these over there..."

Aiba looked around. "I do hope everything's going smoothly for you two here, Eiji-nii…" he said as he watched Kimeru walk away.

The others took some empty seats as Takigawa nodded to Aiba. "Yes, we're alright, Aibacchi," he said quietly, a small smile on his face.

Furukawa looked at his friend before glancing at Daisuke, wondering what was going through the other's head.

Daisuke looked at the caskets forlornly, suddenly feeling something in the pit of his stomach while at the same time, a light headache that wouldn't go away as he swayed for a moment, only to be held steady by Shirota who was nearby.

"Are you okay, Watanabe-senpai?" Shirota asked.

"Daisuke?" Furukawa said in concern as he took Daisuke firmly by the arm. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Daisuke, managing to level his breathing, shook his head. "It's nothing... I'm fine now..." he replied after a long while.

Shirota looked at Daisuke for a long moment before releasing his hold on him, leaving him with Furukawa before he moved over to Aiba.

Furukawa looked at Daisuke for a bit more before leading him to the chairs to join the group.

Daisuke nodded to Furukawa his thanks as he eased himself down onto a chair.

-break-

Kimeru placed the flowers on the side of the casket and looked at his mother's face for a while before turning to the group. "Can I get you anything?" he asked.

Aiba looked at the tray that held some sweets and Kimeru chuckled. "Here you go, Aibacchi. Help yourself," he said as he handed the tray to the younger actor. "How was the last run of the myu?"

"Tiring."

Kimeru handed each of them some packed juice before sitting down on the chair beside Takigawa with a heavy heavy sigh.

"Until when is the funeral?" Aiba asked.

"Until the day after tomorrow... I'm just going to wait for some relatives to arrive from overseas and that's it," Kimeru answered.

Shirota sat himself down beside Aiba. "Do you want us to keep you and Eiji-nii company?" he asked. "The Dream Live is done for the time being, after all."

"Not until we decide to do the Extra in May, at least," Ueshima chimed in.

Aiba looked at Ueshima, "Extra?" he asked.

Kimeru grinned. "That would be nice to see," he said. "Looks like Aibacchi didn't graduate yet, after all."

"Of course he won't. At least not until we finish the Rikkai Arc in Second Service. He'll graduate with the rest of the third cast before we start the fourth cast for the Nationals arc of the musical," Ueshima said, turning to Furukawa and Daisuke. "It would give Aiba-kun a chance to fully recover by the time he _does_ graduate," the director added.

"I see…" Kimeru said. "That would be interesting".

Furukawa nodded. "That gives Daisuke a chance to observe a few more myus."

"I feel like I'd learn more if anyone but Minami was doing Tezuka, though..." Daisuke muttered off to the side.

Takigawa chuckled before jerking a thumb over to Shirota. "Then ask him for advice."

Shirota turned to the legendary Tezuka actor in surprise. "I'm surprised you're not offering your own help, Eiji-nii..." he defended.

Furukawa thought for a moment, "I suggest you get help from all the previous Tezuka's, Daisuke."

Kimeru nodded in agreement. "I have Ohkuchi's number. I can contact him if you want. Though he was there for only one musical, he was a Tezuka nontheless."

"That and you can start watching the anime, Watanabe-senpai," Aiba suggested.

Daisuke shook his head. "No... Takigawa-kun and Shirotan will be enough reference for me..." he replied before he glanced over to Aiba. "And don't think I haven't already done that, Aibacchi," he added with a smirk.

Shirota gaped in surprise. "Seriously?"

Aiba blinked and looked at Furukawa who nodded in confirmation. "Quite an interesting viewer, actually," he added with a chuckle. "You should see him some time."

Kimeru smiled. "Somehow I think I can imagine it already."

_'At least at this wake... Where people have gathered, Kime can divert his attention...'_ Takigawa thought to himself with a fond smile over to his lover.

Aiba smiled and leaned back as he watched Kimeru start to relax and fall into conversation with Furukawa and the rest. He glanced at Takigawa and gave him a thumbs-up. Takigawa returned the gesture before deciding to have a little conversation with Shirota and Daisuke about the upcoming musicals.

-break-

Almost an hour had passed since the group arrived, Kimeru checked his watch. "You guys…it's getting late," he told them. "Won't you have any troubles going home?"

"Not really," Kujirai replied. "Some of us have our own transportations or live not too far away from each other."

"No need to worry, Kime," Sota reassured his friend.

Kimeru smiled and nodded.

"Do you want us to come to the funeral, Kime-nii?" Aiba asked hesitantly. "We're free then."

Furukawa nodded. "That's right...I think some familiar company would do you and Takigawa some good."

Takigawa draped an arm over Kimeru's shoulders, pulling the J-Pop artist closer to him as he gave an affirmative nod to the others. "We would appreciate that. Thank you," he answered.

"We'd want to pay our respects to your parents as well," Daisuke added.

Aiba nodded, "Alright, Kime-nii. We'll be there," he said with a smile.

"It's settled, then," Shirota said as he leaned onto Aiba slightly.

Daisuke looked at the time. "Are you two planning to stay here through the night?" he inquired.

Aiba looked at Shirota's leg hesitantly. "Would it be alright?" he asked.

"I'd still need to elevate it but otherwise it's alright," Shirota explained.

"You two should go home to get some rest. You don't have to stay," Takigawa suggested. "Besides, I don't think Daisuke would allow it," he added slyly.

Daisuke turned away. "They're attending the funeral tomorrow, anyway. And you two also need some rest," he reasoned.

Aiba and Kimeru looked at one another for a moment. "Don't worry we're all seeing each other tomorrow," Furukawa told them both with a soft smile.

"Hai," Kimeru answered quietly.

Ueshima, who was still there, approached the group. "I hope you don't mind if we attended as well, Kimeru-kun. For moral support," he told him reassuringly.

"Let's get going, then," Daisuke announced before turning to Takigawa. "Will you and Kimeru be alright on your own?" he inquired.

Takigawa nodded. "We'll stop by the house tomorrow morning to prepare for the funeral," he answered.

"We'll see you tomorrow, Kime," Furukawa said as he pulled his friend into a brief hug, Aiba doing the same and patted the singer on the back for added reassurance.

"Aa, arigatou," Kimeru said with a bow.

Shirota exchanged a hug with Takigawa as well, pulled back and nodded to him with a grin on his face. Daisuke outstretched his hand and merely shook hands with the first generation Tezuka actor.

Takigawa smiled. "Arigatou," he said as well to the two.

The others filed out of the room in small groups after bidding farewell for the evening to Takigawa and Kimeru until only Daisuke, Furukawa, Shirota and Aiba were left with the pair.

"Jya. Mata ashita," Daisuke announced before leading the group out as well.

"Mata ashita," Kimeru said with a wave as he watched them leave.

A smile on his lips, he faced Takigawa. "We're lucky to have such great friends," he said quietly.

Takigawa nodded in agreement, wrapping his arms around Kimeru. "Aa..."

Kimeru sighed contently as he leaned his head on Takigawa's shoulder.

+++April 8, 2007+++

The next day, Kimeru slowly opened the door at Shirota and Aiba's house. "I think they're still asleep," he said quietly as he went in the house, looking around.

Takigawa nodded. "Go take a shower already, Kazu..." he said in a hushed voice. "I'll go upstairs and get our clothes."

"Alright," he said before closing the door behind him and going upstairs.

"Ah. Good morning, Kimeru," Furukawa greeted as soon as the J-Pop artist was upstairs, almost scaring him. "When you two are done breakfast will be ready," he said pleasantly before going downstairs.

Kimeru shook his head and went inside the room. "He never fails to scare me..." he muttered.

Takigawa followed Kimeru and nodded to Furukawa in passing, chuckling to himself. "Looks like he's gotten the habit of waking up early, that guy," he muttered to himself before entering their room after Kimeru and moving to their closet to pick out their clothes for the day.

Kimeru nodded and looked at their clothes, frowning a bit before moving to get a button up shirt and a blazer with a tie. "I hate formal wear..." he muttered as he took out a pair of shades as well.

"For the record you look marvelous in whatever you wear," Takigawa said, trying to cheer up his husband even just a little bit.

"Aww, thanks Eiji, you're the best," Kimeru said with a smile before pulling Takigawa down for a kiss.

Takigawa smiled. "Anytime, Kazu," he replied, pulling back from the kiss before gesturing to the bathroom. "Douzo."

Kimeru nodded gratefully before heading to the bathroom.

-break-

Daisuke woke up from his sleep on the futon, rubbing his eyes and looked around the room to find out that he was alone, causing him to frown. "Yun is up already?" he said to himself with a sigh, fighting the urge to go back to bed and push himself up to his feet to search for his lover.

"Good morning, dearly beloved," Furukawa greeted brightly as Daisuke entered the kitchen. "Is your system awake?" he asked.

Daisuke reached the kitchen and shook his head, yawning once more as a respose.

Furukawa chuckled as he transfered some eggs on the plate. "Can you wake Shirotan and Aibacchi for me? We all need to get ready," he said with a smile.

-break-

"Hiroki..." Shirota drolled sleepily, shifting in bed and draped an arm over Aiba, subconsciously minding the other boy's arms.

Aiba muttered something incoherent before shifting and moving closer to Shirota.

"Hiropiyo~" Shirota said affectionately, snuggling up to Aiba.

Daisuke eyed the breakfast before nodding, returning upstairs and headed to the master bedroom and knocked on the door. "Shirotan... Aibacchi..." he called through the door.

Aiba blinked himself awake. "H-Hai..." he answered before slightly pulling away from Shirota and stretching before kissing his partner on the cheek.

Shirota, not wanting to get up yet, pulled Aiba back onto the bed. "Five more minutes..." he grumbled.

Daisuke heard Aiba respond, but frowned when he picked up a faint, sleepy reply from Shirota. With a sigh, he turned the knob and pushed open the door a crack. "We don't want to be late, you two..." he called.

"Oh…funeral..." Aiba said sleepily. "Come on, Yuu..." he said as he tried to get up again.

Shirota groaned before pushing himself up, rubbing his eyes. "Whaaat?" he asked sleepily with a yawn.

Daisuke, having heard Shirota finally get up, moved to close the door after stating, "Breakfast is downstairs."

"Funeral," Aiba repeated.

Shirota finally managed to get up at the mention of the word. "I'm up, I'm up..." he groaned.

-break-

"All yours," Kimeru said as he entered the bedroom, the towel draped on his shoulders as he used another to dry his hair.

Takigawa got up from arranging the clothes on the bed for easier access before passing Kimeru, grabbing a towel from the door hook and closed the door to the bathroom behind him.

Kimeru looked at the clothes ruefully before starting to get dressed.

-break-

Furukawa, done with setting the table, looked at the stairs, wondering when the others would come down.

Daisuke returned downstairs and returned to the kitchen. "They're up," he announced.

Looking up, Furukawa smiled at Daisuke. "Thank you," he said before finishing setting the table.

Daisuke looked around and went to get the dishes from the kitchen, transferring them onto the dining table.

"Thank you, dear," Furukawa said as he kissed Daisuke on the cheek.

-break-

Takigawa emerged from the bathroom clad in a towel as he was drying his hair with another one before he stopped and looked at Kimeru. "Everything okay?" he asked with a frown.

"Yeah...just trying to draw out time as much as I can..." he admitted.

Takigawa smiled, lowering his towel after successfully drying his hair enough. "Don't rush things then," he suggested before moving to get dressed.

Kimeru nodded before sitting on the bed and lying back on it.

Takigawa pulled on his blazer and fussed with his tie before sitting on the bed beside Kimeru. "Think you can get through the day?"

"I can..." Kimeru said with a small smile, "I have to, after all."

"Don't worry yourself too much now, Kazu... I'm here with you," Takigawa reassured his husband with a knowing smile.

Kimeru nodded before returning the gesture and moving to finish dressing up.

-break-

Daisuke nodded before turning to the stairs. "Now where are they?"

"Here," Aiba answered as he helped Shirota down the stairs.

"Ah, sankyu, Hiropiyo. We're here, Dai-nii," Shirota called out randomly with a grin.

Daisuke frowned. "D...Dai-nii?" he repeated.

Aiba chuckled when he saw the expression on Daisuke's face while leading Shirota to the table.

Furukawa smiled and patter Daisuke on the shoulder. "You should have seen that coming, Daisuke," he said before looking at the stairs again. "I suspect the other two will be joining us soon."

"When Kime decides to come down, that is..." Daisuke muttered out as he averted his gaze distractedly.

Shirota grinned as he eased himself onto a chair. "Domo, Hiropiyo~" he said before looking at the spread. "Ah, everything looks good," he complimented.

Furukawa nodded gratefully before sitting down before hearing some footsteps descending the stairs. "Ah, they're here," he said with a smile.

True enough, Kimeru and Takigawa joined them. "Looking sharp, Kime-nii," Aiba complimented.

"Aa. Sankyu," the singer said.

"You all should get ready after breakfast," Takigawa suggested as he took his seat. "We can leave together that way."

Shirota nodded, grabbing a piece of toast. "Hai~ Let's just enjoy breakfast first, Eiji-nii~"

Kimeru nodded at them before turning his attention to the food.

Furukawa smiled as he watched the J-Pop singer carefully before returning to his own meal.

-break-

It didn't take long before breakfast had gone and passed as the four got ready to leave as well; each of them taking a shower, got dressed and were all downstairs in the living room after an hour or so.

"Are we all ready to go?" Takigawa inquired.

"Hai~" Shirota responded, fixing his tie.

Furukawa, who was fixing the necktie of a rather flustered Aiba, grinned as he made the final loops. "There we go," he said as he patted Aiba on the shoulder. "All done."

Daisuke averted his gaze from this as Takigawa opened the door for the group as they filed out in two cars: Takigawa, Kimeru and Shirota in one car, and Daisuke, Furukawa and Aiba in the other.

"Daisuke are you alright?" Furukawa asked.

Daisuke absentmindedly looked over to Yuuta before shaking his head, slotting the car keys into the ignition and starting the car. "It's nothing..." he reassured his fiance.

Furukawa placed a hand on Daisuke's arm in concern before smiling. "Alright, Daisuke..." he said before putting on his seatbelt.

Daisuke nodded over to Furukawa reassuringly.

-break-

In the other car, Takigawa looked to the other two passengers, Kimeru and Shirota before nodding to them. "Are we good to go?"

Kimeru looked at Takigawa and nodded. "Alright, let's get this over with..." he said with a heavy sigh before looking out the window. "The sooner the better…"

Takigawa glanced over to his husband with a frown before starting the car.

Shirota leaned forward to Kimeru's seat. "Kime-nii... We'll be here to support you," Shirota reassured him.

Kimeru nodded at Shirota with a small smile. "I know Shirotan...thanks," he said softly before reaching out to pat the younger boy on the head.

Shirota closed his eyes and lowered his head on instinct at the contact, but was pleased to know that he got the J-Pop singer to smile even just a little bit.

Takigawa smiled slowly before taking the car out from the driveway and started the drive off to their first destination.

-break-

It was a short drive, and as expected Kimeru's relatives were already there when he arrived.

Slipping on his shades he got out of the car to take care of the arrangements for that day. Aiba looked around as his group arrived. "Ah, there are Ueshima-sensei and the rest!" he said as he raised a hand so that the others could spot him.

Takigawa made sure that he stayed with Kimeru as he met with his relatives, knowing that the J-Pop singer needed the support from him.

Ueshima led the small group of other Tenimyu actors around before it was Moriyama who caught sight of the other group, pointing it out to the rest.

"Over there," Moriyama announced, gesturing towards Aiba's outstretched hand as their own group approached them.

Ueshima nodded to them. "How are you all?" he asked.

"We're alright, Ueshima-sensei," Daisuke replied.

Kimeru spotted them soon after and approached them. "Hey..." he greeted with a small smile.

Aiba looked at his senior and sighed inwardly when he spotted the sunglasses. _'Hang in there Kime-nii...'_ he thought.

Yanagi offered Kimeru a bouquet of flowers. "For your parents, Kimeru..." the first cast Echizen stated.

Shirota smiled at the gesture, knowing Yanagi had a hobby of dealing with flowers.

"Hai...arigatou," he said before looking at the caskets. "The rites are starting..." he told them. "I'll sit with you after I put this over there…" he informed them before moving to the front.

The rites passed by quickly, and after another short drive they came to the cemetery where Kimeru's family had a mausoleum. Another short rite was made here before the caskets were placed in the opening of the tombs.

Kimeru felt his lips quiver in sadness. "Goodbye...Mommy…Daddy..." he whispered before subconsciously taking Takigawa's hand as he watched the caskets disappear in the tomb.

Takigawa glanced down at Kimeru's hand before squeezing it reassuringly for about a moment before wrapping his other arm around his husband in comfort.

Kimeru sobbed quietly before closing his eyes.

Furukawa looked at the scene behind him before getting a gut feel that something was going to happen. He looked at Daisuke again before placing a hand on his shoulder. "Want to go back for Kime?"

Daisuke was watching the caskets for a long moment before clutching at his chest when he felt a pang of unease. _'Why is...my chest...'_ he thought roughly, groaning and trying to even out his breathing.

"Daisuke...?" Furukawa said as he grabbed his partner by the waist. "Daisuke!" he called out in near panic before they both heard the sound of the future Tezuka actor's phone ring.

Daisuke painfully brought his hand down to his pants pocket and pulled out his phone. On the display was the name 'Nobu Miko', his older sister. Managing to calm himself sufficiently, he answered the call. "Doushita, neesan?" he asked.

"DAISUKE! Our parents... they're..." came Miko's choked voice over the phone.

Daisuke immediately left Kimeru's parent's funeral that afternoon to rush over to his own family matters. It wasn't until the next day did the rest of them found out that Daisuke's own parents were killed as well, leaving a last will addressed to their two remaining children; Miko and Daisuke.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED. :D

We look forward to your reviews and possible suggestions. :)

**A/N**: Sorry for the little bit of a cliff-hanger at the end. Chapter 23 is already complete, so expect to find out what happens within the day (GMT+8). Haha.


	23. New Abode

**Title:** Anything for You

**Author/Artist:** snooperj & Bloodysamurai

**Series/Pairing(s):** TeniMyu; Mainly Takigawa Eiji x Kimeru, Shirota Yuu x Aiba Hiroki & Watanabe Daisuke x Furukawa Yuuta

**Notes:** Here is the 23rd chapter entitled **New Abode**. A somewhat short chapter (by far the third shortest following chapters 3 and 8) following the death of Daisuke's parents, we discover the will left to him and how he plans to use it. One could consider this as the exclamation point of their lives as the three couples are given the opportunity to leave together. This chapter details the events of April 11, 2007.

**ALSO! None of the authors of this roleplay/fanfic own TeniMyu or the actors, but are mere fangirls of the musical series and corresponding actors we write about. Everything that progresses in the story is the creation of our witty imaginations.

* * *

+++April 11, 2007+++

A few days after the siblings planned the funeral and went through with it, Miko called Daisuke over to her place and gave the will to Daisuke, stating that she was perfectly alright with her husband and didn't need the inheritance. Daisuke read the will that same day before his eyes widened in shock.

"Are you sure you don't want..."

"Kyou's dead... and I'm quite at ease with what I have now, Daisuke. So go ahead and take it all. The money and the lot," Miko reassured him.

Daisuke nodded, hugging his sister before leaving to make arrangements. Later that evening, he returned to Shirota's house where the Takigawas, Shirotas and Furukawa were before handing the three of them separate envelopes.

"What's this, Daisuke?" Takigawa inquired, taking the envelope.

"I just got the will my parents left me and my sister..." Daisuke explained.

Furukawa smiled at them. "You see, Daisuke was left a huge deal in terms of properties and generally does not have any idea what to do with them," he explained. "So we did the next best thing. Hand them over to you guys."

"EH?" Kimeru exclaimed, "You have got to be kidding!" he said as he opened and envelope and looked at its contents.

"Wait, wait, wait. Deeds to a house?" Shirota said incredulously, looking up from the papers.

Daisuke nodded with a shrug. "My parents intended that my siblings and I share a big lot in the future. A house each with a connecting backyard... But since my sister didn't want it and my brother is dead... I technically have sole ownership of the whole thing..."

"Then I'm game! When can we move in?" Kimeru asked his husband eagerly.

Takigawa smiled at his husband's enthusiasm, nodding in agreement.

"E-to... How about you, Yuu? Are you okay with it?" Aiba asked

Shirota thought for a moment, looking around. "I can always hand this place to Jun-ani..." he considered before nodding. "But the idea of staying with everybody else sounds fun~" he added.

Daisuke turned to Kimeru. "Today," he replied.

"T-Today?" Aiba exclaimed in surprise.

Furukawa nodded and chuckled. "The moving van will be arriving in a few minutes," he told them.

"Then we better get packing!" Kimeru exclaimed happily.

"Well, the houses are already furnished..." Daisuke supplied.

"So that's fewer things to pack," Takigawa pointed out.

Kimeru stood up immediately. "Well, we better get moving now!" he exclaimed.

-break-

Sunset came and soon the three couples were already in the houses Daisuke mentioned.

"These places...are huge..." Kimeru muttered causing Furukawa to chuckle.

"I know right," he said in amusement. "If you think this is big, check out the backyard."

"I'm almost afraid to look," Shirota said teasingly.

Daisuke looked over to the second generation actor and led the little group out back. "You'd be surprised what's back there," he announced before sliding the glass door open and stepped out.

Takigawa had to blink twice before his mind began processing what was there. "What the...?"

The backyard couldn't be more of a fantasy.

"Is this Narnia?" Aiba asked hesitantly.

"It might as well be," Furukawa answered. "A lot of space for some of us to run around in, ne?"

"Shirotan's beaten you all to it," Takigawa pointed out, the second generation actor already running – or rather briskly limping - around exclaiming things in Spanish excitement.

Daisuke chuckled. "If he doesn't look where he's going he'll run straight into the pool."

As if on cue a rather large splash was heard.

"Who fell in the pool?" Kimeru asked as he looked around.

"Gah! Help!" Aiba called out as he started flailing his free hand.

"Allow me," Furukawa said as he kicked off his shoes and handed his watch, wallet and phone to Daisuke before jumping in and dragging Aiba to the shallow part of the pool.

"How did you slip in?" Furukawa asked as they both climbed out.

"Momo...and Echizen...nuzzle attacked me..." Aiba said between breaths as the two aforementioned critters ran towards Takigawa to escape any consequence.

Takigawa stared down at the two guinea pigs and took them up, shaking his head. "Even these two enjoy the open space. A bit too much," he observed.

Shirota, at this point, hopped back to Aiba when he saw what happened. "Are you okay? No broken bones?" he asked worriedly.

"I think he's fine, Shirotan," Daisuke pointed out, handing Furukawa's things to the boy. "I'll go grab them some towels." With that, he slipped back into his and Furukawa's house before coming back moments later with two fluffy towels, handing each of the wet Fuji actors a piece.

Aiba took the towel and did his best to dry up. "But anyway, this is a great place!" he said happily.

Kimeru blinked at him for a while before grinning. "Aibacchi...you don't know how to swim?" he teased.

"Ah, yabbe yabbe!" Shirota said distractedly, taking the towel from Aiba and took over the task of drying his husband up.

Takigawa raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong, Shirotan?" he asked.

"Hiroki normally would've seen the pool and stayed clear of it," Shirota explained.

"So you really don't know how to swim?" Furukawa asked the other Fuji actor who sheepishly shook his head.

"Not yet, anyway..." Aiba muttered.

"Then it's about time Shirotan uses the time to teach you," Takigawa suggested.

"If I can..." Shirota muttered to himself.

"But but but… the water's deep!" Aiba said as he flailed a little.

"It's not THAT deep," Kimeru argued. "And I'm sure Shiropon won't let you drown."

Shirota set the towel down on Aiba's shoulders before wrapping his long arms around his lover. "Don't worry Hiroki. I'll take care of you~" he said reassuringly. "If you want, we can even get you those water wings or that inner tube or any flotation device you'd like to use to help you," he suggested.

Daisuke chuckled at the suggestion. "A swimming pool that's just 5 feet high shouldn't be that troublesome for you, Aibacchi..." he stated.

Shirota took a double take at the pool. "So it _is_ only that deep..." he observed. "You could stand up and have your head above the water," Shirota reasoned.

Aiba shook his head furiously. "No, I think I can manage without those kiddy apparel," he said boldly as he looked at the water.

Furukawa chuckled. "And once you're comfortable in the water and know how to swim, I think I want to make it deeper."

Kimeru nodded in agreement. "That's a good idea," he said. "Wavepool anyone?"

"Only someone like you would suggest that Kime," Furukawa told the singer.

"Why is that?"

"Because you're the one with the money," Aiba pointed out.

Daisuke frowned at the two before stating, "What about me?"

"What about you?" Takigawa inquired.

"I've recently gotten a fair amount of money to spend..." he answered.

"Define 'fair amount'."

"As in I can afford a number of renovations 'fair amount'."

Shirota got in between the two, slinging an arm over each of their shoulders. "Maa, maa. Let's not discuss money right now. Only Kime-nii would look right talking about it openly," he teased.

Kimeru grinned when he heard this before looking around. "But you know what would look nice out here?" he asked. "Especially over there?" he added as he pointed out to a certain empty spot in the corner of the huge garden.

"What will, Kime-nii?" Aiba asked as he approached the singer.

"A small studio for dance and voice," Kimeru answered with a smile. "What do you all think?"

Furukawa thought for a while before looking at the others. "I like the idea," he admitted.

"Me too!" Aiba followed.

Kimeru nodded in satisfaction. "And the rest of you?"

"I couldn't really decline any of Kime's ideas, so I'd just go for it," Takigawa whispered towards the other two.

Shirota was eager with the idea and nodded in agreement. "Sounds great, Kime-nii!"

Daisuke smiled, shrugging his shoulders in defeat. "Can't say no _now_, can I?" he said.

Takigawa nodded at this before turning on his heel. "I'll go and get dinner started," he announced before heading into his and Kimeru's house.

Furukawa chuckled. "I'll help you, Takigawa-kun," he said as he followed the first generation Tezuka actor in the house.

Kimeru waved at him before taking a look around the garden again. "This place is really...really great," he said.

Aiba frowned and looked at the singer. "Why do you sound so glum about it then, Kime-nii?" he asked.

"Nothing, nothing… I was just thinking, that's all," Kimeru answered.

"Thinking about what?" Shirota inquired over to the J-Pop singer.

Daisuke spotted the guinea pigs running up to him before he bent down and collected them in his hands. "Let's get you two some food," he told Momo and Echizen before moving into the house as well to leave the three alone.

"It's silly, really," Kimeru insisted as he backed away from the two.

"We still want to hear it, Kime-nii," Aiba encouraged.

"Well...with all this space...don't you think it'd be nice to...I don't know...hear some kids running around the place…" the singer said hesitantly.

Shirota looked over to Aiba for a long moment before a gentle smile settled on his face, his attention returning to Kimeru. "Aa... It'd be very nice if there were, wouldn't there..." he said thoughtfully.

Kimeru laughed nervously, "Aha, don't mind me and my wishful thinking..." he said as he waved his hand dismissively. "I think I'll go see what Eiji and Furukawa are making," he added before making a hasty retreat.

Aiba looked at the singer for a while before turning his attention to Shirota. "He was serious wasn't he?" he asked his husband.

Shirota watched Kimeru as well before nodding, turning his attention to Aiba. "Aa. It sounded like he was," he pointed out in confirmation. "I'm all for the idea as well, actually..."

Aiba nodded. "Yes it is...it's just too bad that we can't really have one of our own," he said before looking up. "Let's go inside, Yuu. I need to change," the second Fuji actor said before dragging Shirota inside.

-break-

Takigawa and Furukawa, in the meantime, were combining forces to whipping up an appetizing dinner for the group.

Daisuke had returned from their place after finding food for the guinea pigs before peeking into Takigawa and Kimeru's kitchen where the others were. "What's for dinner?" he inquired.

"Guess," Furukawa said with a smile as he glanced at Daisuke.

Kimeru, who had just arrived, sniffed around and blinked. "Chicken?" he guessed.

"You have a sharp sense of smell, Kime," Takigawa commended with a nod. "Anyone cares for some chicken casserole?" he offered.

The J-Pop artist was about to bounce inside the room when Furukawa stopped him. "Now now, Kime...we don't want you finishing off whatever food is here," he reprimanded causing the singer to pout.

"Oh alright, I'll go set up the PS2 then~" he said before heading straight to the living room.

Daisuke chuckled at this. "I'll accompany him," he announced to the chefs before heading out into the living room to join Kimeru. "Need some help?" he inquired.

Kimeru nodded as he pulled out the console from the box. "You can sort out these wires, for starters," he said as he tried to figure out how to completely take the PS2 out of the chaotic box.

Daisuke looked at the assortment of wires and nodded. Luckily he had previous experience with gaming consoles and leisurely took his time untangling them for Kimeru.

-break-

Satisfied with the change of clothes he had on, Aiba peeked out of the room and smiled at Shirota. "We can go back now~" he said happily.

Shirota ruffled Aiba's hair. "I promise I'll teach you how to swim soon," he promised.

Aiba nodded gratefully before hugging Shirota. "I'll be a pain in the butt as a student, but I'll do my best to be a fast learner, sensei~" he said happily. "Looks like we'll be unpacking all day tomorrow," the dancer noticed as he looked at the still sealed boxes in the room.

Shirota kissed Aiba lovingly on the cheek before looking around at the boxes as well. "It looks that way. It might take longer with our injuries like this still," he said, glancing down at his leg and Aiba's arm.

-break-

"Yosh~" Kimeru cheered as soon as they set up the system.

Browsing through the collection of game CDs that he smooshed in one box, he pulled out one in triumph. "Care for a game of DDR, Daisuke?" he asked.

Daisuke laughed. "Why not?" he replied with a lopsided grin on his face. "I'll have to warn you, I may be a little good at this game," he pointed out.

"Put your money where your mouth is, Watanabe," Kimeru said as he pulled out his wallet and placed some money on the table. "Winner takes all. Best of five songs," he said smugly.

Daisuke smirked, pulling out his own wallet and matched the amount Kimeru had laid down before setting up the dance mats. "You're on!" he said, his competitive side surfacing as the game began to load.

"Pick out the first song, then!" Kimeru said as he stood on his designated dance pad.

Daisuke used his dance pad and placed his foot on the right arrow to browse through the menu of songs before finding one to his liking, pulling his foot back. Before selecting it, stomped on the down arrow twice, changing his difficultly one step harder as he turned to Kimeru with a wry smirk. "Are you going to come on level with me with the harder difficulty?" he challenged.

-break-

In the kitchen, Takigawa had just about finished the chicken casserole with Furukawa's help. "Thanks for the help, Furukawa-kun," he said with a nod to the Fuji actor.

"It's not a problem, Takigawa-kun, I happen to enjoy spending time in the kitchen," he said before hearing some music. Peeking outside and seeing some money on the table, the Fuji actor sighed. "Honestly...those two…"

Takigawa set the platter on the counter before pulling off the oven mittens, noticing Furukawa peeking out into the living room. "What is it?" he inquired before taking a look for himself before chuckling. "Ah, those two..." he said fondly, shaking his head.

-break-

"Ch'. You're only going to use the advance level?" he scoffed as went a level higher than Daisuke, "I'll let you know that I've mastered all songs in that level," he boasted before nodding at the older man. "I'm game."

Daisuke laughed before moving on par with Kimeru on the hardest level. "Let's just see what happens, shall we?" he said with confidence before selecting the song and turned his complete attention to the TV screen.

-break-

"Well, let's go see what the others are doing in Eiji-nii and Kime-nii's place. I faintly hear some game music," Shirota stated, pulling Aiba from the room.

Aiba nodded, "I think it's DDR music," he pointed out. "If it is, I wanna join!" he cheered before dashing in the other house, dragging Shirota with him.

"Wait, slow down, Hiro-" Whatever Shirota else would say was cut off, trying to keep up in Aiba's dash to the other house with his leg.

"Ah, gomen gomen," Aiba said hastily as he let Shirota's hand go so that they could go along in a much slower pace.

Shirota heaved a sigh of relief. "Don't go doing that so suddenly," he complained.

-break-

Takigawa gestured to the living room. "Shall we watch them compete for a more comfortable angle and position, Furukawa?" the first generation Tezuka actor inquired.

Furukawa nodded and walked towards the living room, grinning as he watched the two friends dance away, adding a few hand movements to the dance steps.

Kimeru grinned. "You'll never win against me, Watanabe Daisuke!"

_'Kime's hyper and full of himself... As usual...'_ Takigawa thought to himself as he moved into the living room and took a seat at the couch for a better view of the TV screen where the game was being displayed.

Daisuke opted not to reply, concentrating on the screen as his feet tapped on the arrows as they came.

"I wouldn't be so confident, Kime." Furukawa piped up. "Daisuke had been playing with me, after all," he pointed out.

"Who's playing who?" Aiba said as he and Shirota arrived in the scene.

Takigawa spotted the two before gesturing to the two dancing gamers. "Kime and Daisuke. Betting some pocket money for whoever beats the other," he explained.

Shirota glanced over to them as he eased himself onto the couch. "Pinning the two most competitive among the lot against each other… This is interesting," he supplied with a chuckle.

"But we can make it more interesting~" Furukawa said as he inched closer to Takigawa. "Oh Daisuke~~" he called out to his partner, a little plan formulating in his head.

Aiba, noticing this, chuckled. "Now this is where it gets more fun."

Side-glancing over to Furukawa, Takigawa had the strangest feeling things could get ugly.

"I'm concentrating!" Daisuke called out, in the middle of a complicated sequence of steps.

"Suit yourself~" Furukawa said before promptly sitting on Takigawa's lap. "Now I see why Kime likes this so much," he stated happily.

Aiba held back a chuckle. "Kazu-nii! Yun took your favorite seat in the house!" he called out.

"Not now! I'm busy!" Kimeru yelled, not bothering to look.

Shirota glanced from Kimeru and Daisuke and shook his head, suppressing a chuckle himself. _'I wonder how long it'll take before one of them realizes what's happening?'_ he thought to himself.

"Daisuke, do you mind if I took Furukawa out tomorrow?" Takigawa teased, deciding to play along.

Barely hearing what was said, Daisuke continued. "Whatever, just let me finish this stage!" he called out, his eyes glued to the screen.

"Kime, Takigawa and I will be going out tonight," Furukawa called out.

Kimeru kept his eyes glued on the screen. "Sure, whatever," he said as he concentrated on the steps he needed to perform.

Thinking for a moment, the third Fuji actor smiled widely. Pressing a finger to his lips to keep Takigawa quiet, the younger messed up his hair and opened the first few buttons of his shirt. Glancing at the screen, he noted that the song was about to end, "Let's see if they can keep ignoring us.." he whispered before messing up his own hair and rubbed is lips against the back of his hand a few times to make it appear reddish.

When the song had finally finished, Daisuke looked over his shoulder before he froze, his eyes widening at the sight. "YUUTA!" he cried out in alarm and fury.

Shirota tried to stop himself from laughing out loud, covering his mouth with his hand.

Furukawa inwardly smirked as he languidly leaned on Takigawa, "I was bored and you were ignoring me…" he reasoned.

Kimeru, who had turned around, had his mouth hanging open. "Eiji!" he whined.

Takigawa pointed to Furukawa in explanation while Daisuke pouted.

"If I knew you were teasing like that I wouldn't have ignored you," Daisuke explained seriously before moving towards him and took Furukawa by the wrist and pulled him away. "We're going to our place!" he exclaimed.

Shirota raised an eyebrow at this and tilted his head slightly. "What about dinner?" he asked.

Daisuke stilled for a moment. "We won't be gone long. But eat ahead if you're hungry!" he called over his shoulder.

"My seat," Kimeru said with a pout as he sat on Takigawa's lap.

Aiba chuckled. "Honestly, Kazu-nii, it's your fault for being too engrossed in that game."

"Don't speak as if you yourself aren't a DDR addict."

"Touché~"

Takigawa's features softened and kissed Kimeru on the forehead. "Gomen for teasing you," he apologized before nuzzling him.

Shirota smiled. "Kawaii~

"So...looks like we won't be seeing Daisuke and Yun for the next few minutes," Aiba said as he looked at the time.

"You're hungry aren't you?" Kimeru teased.

Takigawa pointed to the kitchen. "The food's ready to be served already," he explained. "Furukawa and I made a lot since we knew Kimeru and Shirota would be pigging out."

"Hey!" Shirota said heatedly.

Kimeru grinned, "Shirotan may be a hearty eater but I'm much worse off," he said before looking down. "And that's why it confuses me to no end as to why I don't get fat," he muttered.

"Must be all the projects you work on, Kime-nii," Aiba said with a grin. "Concerts, recordings and shoots...oh the life of a J-pop artist~" he teased.

Shirota frowned. "Are you implying that I'm getting fat?" he asked, mock offended as he looked down and rubbed his stomach.

"He's not, Shirotan. Relax," Takigawa reassured him.

Kimeru chuckled before getting up from his comfortable seat. "I'll go prepare the table so we can go eat," he said. "Besides, I want to turn in early and go shopping," he added with a grin.

Aiba smiled. "I'll go with you, Kime-nii~" he said.

"Wait...don't you guys have a check up tomorrow for those broken limbs of yours?" the singer asked.

"In the afternoon, yes."

"Then we're going shopping the first thing in the morning."

"Yosha~"

"It won't be long before you can finally walk properly again, Shirotan," Takigawa noted, turning to the second cast Tezuka.

Shirota nodded, glancing down at his cast. "I'll work extra hard during rehabilitation so I can start enjoying myself thoroughly again~" he vowed.

Takigawa chuckled. "Just make sure you don't get into any accidents again," he warned.

"Am I _that_ accident prone?" he argued with a frown.

"Hai," was Takigawa's immediate reply. _'And not to mention hot-headed.'_

Kimeru chuckled before stretching. "I'll call you lot when everything is ready," he said before heading off to prepare dinner.

After a few minutes, the singer called them over and was later joined by Furukawa and Daisuke, who looked rather pleased with themselves.

"Dinner looks good~" Shirota praised as he limped towards the dining table with a grin. "Who made it?"

"Furukawa and I did," Takigawa replied, pulling a seat back for Kimeru.

"Ah, if it's a Yun-Eiji combination, then I'd have plenty," Daisuke intoned happily, taking a seat at the table.

"And that is the reason why we made extras," Furukawa said with a grin as he took a seat beside Daisuke.

Aiba looked at the food thoughtfully. "Gah, I don't know where to start..."

"Just how I like it~" Daisuke said in satisfaction.

"I do~~" Shirota said, beaming at the food around him. "Itadakimasu~~~"

"You're getting your eager appetite back. That's a good sign," Takigawa noted of the second Tezuka actor.

"Of course~" Shirota replied happily.

Aiba gave up figuring out what to pick and promptly chose the dish closest to him, "Hai! Itadakimasu~" he said before starting to eat.

"Itadakimasu~" he said in grace for the second time. Chuckling, Shirota reached across the table as far as he could to grab a particular dish and getting a serving for him and scanned for the next one to get.

"Why is it that everything you two cook is delicious?" Daisuke complained over to Takigawa and Furukawa with a mock pout.

"That's because we're secretly chefs in an underground restaurant when you and Kazu-nii are out," Furukawa said with a rather large smile.

Kimeru blinked before turning his gaze at Takigawa. "Eh? Are you serious?" he said in disbelief, totally falling for what Furukawa said.

"Why are you falling for what he said?" Takigawa inquired with a chuckle. "Of course we're not."

"Yun likes to joke like that a lot," Daisuke explained casually.

Kimeru blushed slightly before looking away, "I-I knew that!" he said.

Furukawa chuckled. "Now will anyone remind me if we still have anything lined up for us to do today or shall we all resign to bed?" he asked.

"Not by my book," Shirota admitted, taking another spoonful of his food in contemplation.

"Either you're just saying that to get away with something or-" Daisuke warned.

"I'm not I'm not!" Shirota stated hastily.

Aiba chuckled. "Hai hai, then we shall head to bed," he said with a smile.

Kimeru muttered something about redecorating before taking the plates and heading to the kitchen.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED. :D

We look forward to your reviews and possible suggestions. :)

**A/N: **So at this point I've already updated everything from the forum and starting with this chapter, from the blog we're doing the roleplay. We're still in the midst of Chapter 24 (the next chapter) so updates will be put on hold a little bit. I'll probably move to update Mitsukaru High after I'm through fixing the breaks of all the chapters of this for better convenience. Thanks to all our readers for staying loyal and continue reading our works despite the long delays. *bows* All reviews are very much appreciated. - snooperj


	24. The Magic of Tenipuri

**Title:** Anything for You

**Author/Artist:** snooperj & Bloodysamurai

**Series/Pairing(s):** TeniMyu; Mainly Takigawa Eiji x Kimeru, Shirota Yuu x Aiba Hiroki & Watanabe Daisuke x Furukawa Yuuta

**Notes:** Here is the 24th chapter entitled** The Magic of Tenipuri**. Three major plot points surface in this chapter; the first is the long-awaited dubbing session of the couples with Tezuka and Fuji voice actors Okiayu Ryoutarou and Kaida Yuki (first mentioned in chapter 14). Following this, a well-guarded secret of Kimeru finally reveals itself, explaining the J-Pop singer's reckless driving skills. Capping things off is a flashback to how the manga of 'Tennis no Oujisama' really began, as well as introducing a few new characters! This chapter details the events of May 5 and May 9, 2007.

**A/N: **Because this is being composed on a blog now, I thought I'd divide this similarly by its appropriate titles. -snooperj

**ALSO! None of the authors of this roleplay/fanfic own TeniMyu or the actors, but are mere fangirls of the musical series and corresponding actors we write about. Everything that progresses in the story is the creation of our witty imaginations.

* * *

_**~The TezukaFuji Magic~  
**_+++May 5, 2007+++

Nearly a month later, the three pairs went about their usual business, Shirota and Aiba mainly resting themselves with frequent visits from Ueshima and nagging them to stay in bed. Takigawa and Kimeru, as well as Daisuke and Furukawa decided to give the youngest couple (overlooking the fact that Furukawa was the youngest among the six) some company.

As soon as they were settled on the couches in the living room, Takigawa adjusted his sitting position and turned to the others. "I got a phone call from Ryo," he began conversationally.

"Okiayu-san?" Shirota and Daisuke asked in confirmation, their attention immediately perked.

Takigawa nodded. "He said that they had some free time this afternoon and remembered your request from him some months ago when they came to pay a visit, Shiropon," he explained.

"So we can-" Shirota began brightly as Takigawa nodded an affirmative. "YOSH~~" he cheered.

"What are you talking about?" Daisuke asked in confusion.

"Care to fill in the Fuji's...and a Tezuka, on what you're talking about?" Kimeru asked as he looked at the two Tezuka's."

"Don't complain about the title, Daisuke, we're getting ready for our turn in myu anyway," Furukawa reminded his partner.

Daisuke turned to Furukawa. "But I wasn't going to..." he said with a frown.

"Well, a few months ago, Okiayu-san and Kaida-san came to visit our house where Eiji-nii and Kime-nii were staying over taking care of us," Shirota began.

"While Kime and Hiroki were with Kaida-san in the kitchen preparing dinner, the three of us were chatting and Shirotan suggested that he and Hiroki try dubbing Tezuka and Fuji when their casts were taken off," Takigawa continued.

"But I guess he couldn't resist bringing the rest along," Shirota finished with a laugh.

"Dubbing?" Aiba said excitedly. "Tezuka and Fuji...that'd be awesome!" he exclaimed.

"Deshou deshou?" Shirota said excitedly to his partner with a huge grin.

Kimeru chuckled. "Yes, it is actually. I've tried it before for fun and I'm sure you and Shirotan would enjoy the experience."

"So I guess that answers the question what we're going to do for today," Furukawa pointed out with a chuckle.

"Daisuke can have some practice on being Tezuka with this too," Takigawa added with a nod to the next Tezuka actor.

Turning away, Daisuke nodded, but couldn't help but be excited by the whole idea.

Furukawa slid beside Daisuke and nuzzled his arm, "Not like you need much of practice after hearing you go Tezuka on me last night~" he whispered with an inward snicker.

Aiba who apparently has great hearing perked up when he heard this. "Why'd he go Tezuka on you last night?" he asked innocently.

Kimeru chuckled upon realizing what Furukawa meant.

Daisuke waved his hand in front of him. "Nothing you need to worry yourself over," he insisted, turning to Takigawa. "So when are they expecting us?" he inquired.

Takigawa took a moment to check his watch. "He said they'll meet us for lunch at Kime's favorite restaurant. They're treating," he replied.

"Yosh~ A restaurant~~~~" Shirota cheered, the pain on his leg momentarily forgotten as he tried to get to his feet but was restrained by the first generation Tezuka.

"Careful, Yuu, don't forget that you still have a cast," Aiba reminded him gently.

"Hai, gomen gomen," Shirota said in apology.

"You too, Hiroki," Kimeru added, "I know that you only have a few months to go until you get those off but it's no excuse to be lax."

"Hai~ Let's go~" Aiba said cheerfully as he walked hand in hand with Shirota to their place.

"We should get ready to go out to lunch then~" Daisuke proposed, getting to his feet.

"You're being particularly enthusiastic about this arrangement," Takigawa accused teasingly.

Furukawa chuckled. "I wonder what to wear this time," he mused before looking at Daisuke. "Maybe _that_ one?" he asked slyly.

Eyes widening, Daisuke violently shook his head in disapproval. "Not in front of everybody else!" Daisuke whined, giving out a little flail.

Takigawa chuckled before turning to Kimeru. "I suppose you're going up to get changed as well?" he inquired over to his 'wife'.

Kimeru chuckled, "You know me so well~" he said endearingly before patting Takigawa's cheek. "I'll be back!" he said before taking Furukawa by the arm along the way. "You are coming with me," he said slyly.

"I'd love to," Furukawa said with a chuckled before waving at Daisuke.

"Prepare myself for a possible nosebleed?" Daisuke asked over to the first Tezuka actor who nodded, handing him a tissue.

"That and possibly more," Takigawa supposed.

-break-

About fifteen minutes later, Kimeru and Furukawa came back downstairs fully dressed for the day.

The J-Pop singer was garbed in simple jeans, a long sleeved shirt and a jacket while the taller was wearing something flashier.

His hair was messed up in an artistic way; Yun had a leather jacket to go with a pristine white shirt underneath. Black pants that merely accentuated the attractive curves of his legs and the nice shape of his ass. If asked, he'd say the only thing he was missing was a whip.

"Well...?" Kimeru asked with a sly grin.

As expected, Daisuke did indeed get a nosebleed upon seeing Furukawa that he found it extremely difficult to get himself together. Takigawa, who grinned in approval of the outfits, - and already very much used to seeing these from his partner, moved to Daisuke and helped him with his nosebleed.

The two Fuji actors gave each other a high five at the reaction.

"Looks like we missed something," Aiba said as he got back with Yuu in tow. "So are we leaving yet?" he asked hopefully.

"As soon as Daisuke gets himself together," Kimeru answered with a chuckle.

"Dais..." Shirota trailed off as he turned to the said actor before grinning widely. "He finally caved to the magic of the Fujis!" he exclaimed.

"That he did," Takigawa agreed with a firm nod, handing a tissue to Daisuke as he pressed his nose together and tilted his head up.

Aiba chuckled as he continued to watch Daisuke struggle with his nosebleed.

"Well, you might as well get over it soon, Daisuke. We're going to have Yun walk around in a studio, after all," Kimeru told the incoming Tezuka actor with a sly grin.

Once Daisuke had managed to control his nosebleed, Takigawa had nodded, clearly satisfied before jingling his car keys. "We're taking two cars then," he announced.

The group nodded before filing out of the house and into two cars; Takigawa, Kimeru and Shirota in one car, and Daisuke, Furukawa and Aiba in the other. As a convoy, the six made their way to Kimeru's favorite restaurant.

-break-

"Oh look, they're here~" A certain Kaida Yuki pointed out as soon as she spotted the cars. "Kimeru-tachi! Over here!" she called out as she waved her hand.

Once both cars found a parking space, they walked up to the pair who was waiting outside the restaurant.

"You finally made it," Okiayu stated cheerfully. "I was starting to think someone got a nosebleed and needed to be rushed to the hospital or something," he joked.

"Actually Daisuke _did_ get a nosebleed," Takigawa teased, causing Daisuke to blush and turn away.

"I can see why," Yuki said with a smile. "You're looking very well wrapped, Furukawa-kun~" she complimented.

Furukawa smiled at her. "We have Kimeru to thank for that," he said with a nod towards the singer who merely grinned in satisfaction.

"Can we go inside and eat now?" Shirota whined with a mock pout.

"Someone's anxious about today's activity," Okiayu noticed, sending a smile over to the second generation Tezuka's way. "Alright, let's get inside. I'm sure Shirota-kun here doesn't want to stay standing any longer than he should," he pointed out.

"That's right!" Shirota said in agreement as they all went inside and were escorted to their reserved table.

"Hai, we reserved a table for all of us yesterday so we shouldn't have any trouble except for some fans that might be anticipating the great Kimeru~" Yuki said slyly before they led the way inside.

"That's why I brought a cap and wore glasses~" Kimeru said proudly.

"But remember we rented out a table in a private room this time around so we don't have to worry about dressing up the entire time," Okiayu reminded Yuki before pulling open the door and gestured the rest to enter. "Douzo."

"Wow, you two went to all this trouble... We're honored~" Shirota said as he moved into the room, looking around in awe.

"You should be getting used to this type of treatment, Shirotan," Takigawa pointed out to him, before turning thoughtfully to Daisuke. "As should you."

"Why?"

"You'll be famous soon and hear people 'kya'ing over you like there's no tomorrow," Takigawa stated teasingly.

"And I warn you, it gets quite deafening," Kimeru told him while thinking back.

"Especially when you come across Dream Lives," Aiba added and the others nodded in agreement.

"I'm sure Furukawa-kun can tell you all about his experience with that this upcoming DL4 Extra," Shirota said, easing himself down into a seat.

"Ah, that's right. Watanabe Daisuke," Okiayu stated, turning to the said man. "Ueshima told us about you being cast as the 4th cast Tezuka. Congratulations~"

Daisuke sat himself down beside Furukawa and nodded his thanks. "Arigatou..."

"Now then, order what you like," Takigawa called out, passing the menus across the table.

"Don't sound as if you're the one treating, Eiji!" Okiayu scolded.

At this, Takigawa chuckled. "I know I'm not, hence me encouraging everybody to order what they like and lots of it," he fired back.

"You might end up bankrupt by the end of the day," Kimeru said with a grin.

Yuki chuckled. "Oh don't worry, we won't," she assured them. "Now you boys get what you want."

"Yosh!" Shirota exclaimed, pulling a menu close and browsed its contents and called out his orders after agreeing with Aiba that they were going to share.

Takigawa and Kimeru had no trouble ordering what they wanted - which was just the usual they had when the pair went to that restaurant on their own.

Furukawa, in the meantime, went with some food he wasn't really familiar with before checking with Daisuke.

"And some wasabi to go with the sauce," The Fuji actors chimed together after the orders were placed, simultaneously closing their menus and placing it on the table.

A moment of silence passed as they all looked at one another before laughing.

"As expected from Fujis," Okiayu stated after he finally managed to calm down.

"We're beginning to see defining factors as to why Ueshima assigned everybody to the roles they have," Takigawa observed.

"Makes me wonder what is for you guys," Kimeru pointed out as he looked around the room and twitched when he saw news clippings and posters of himself. "Mou!"

"The leadership skillz," Shirota answered.

"Skillz?" Daisuke repeated.

"Yes, skillz," the youngest Tezuka pointed out, emphasizing the use of a z.

Takigawa laughed. "That's so appropriate. Even though you _were_ a tyrant in your time," he teased.

"I'd have to agree with that," Aiba admitted.

"Good thing we had Hiropiyo to balance everything out, ne?" Kimeru put in.

"Yeah, that's true," Shirota said with a nod, pulling Aiba into a hug.

Aiba chuckled and moved his arm out of the way before hugging Shirota back.

"When are those casts of yours coming off?" Yuki asked in concern. "They look awfully hard to move around in."

Shirota pulled back and turned to the Fuji seiyuu. "Pretty soon, actually. I think by mid-May I'll be able to have it taken off and work on rehabilitation," he explained.

"And that's only a few days from now," Takigawa reminded him.

"Hai!"

"Unfortunately, arms take a longer time to heal," Aiba said with a sigh. "So no dancing for me until this completely heals..." he told them.

"Don't worry, Hiropiyo, there's still clubbing to look forward to," Kimeru reminded him slyly.

"And I'll be sure to hound you two when that happens," Takigawa warned them teasingly.

"The ever protective Takigawa Eiji," Daisuke said with a chuckle.

"It'd be chaotic if you left these two alone," Shirota explained.

"Who says it will just be the two of them?" Furukawa added with a pleasant smile.

"Ooohh that's going to be chaos," Yuki said happily. "Do tell me how that's going to go, Fuji-tachi," she told them with a wink.

"We'll need the extra the security! Daisuke!" Takigawa called, pulling the 4th cast Tezuka close. "You're coming with us when that happens!"

"E-Eh?" Daisuke said in confusion.

"Hey, that's a Fuji only event," Kimeru told them, "No Tezuka's allowed."

"That's right. Don't worry too much, we can fend for ourselves~" Furukawa added.

"We're worried about the people you might attract," Takigawa stated.

"Because we know you guys can take care of yourselves," Shirota added.

Yuki chuckled. "There there, at least you have some people to jump in when things get too rowdy," she told them. "Just like what Taro over here did last night~" she said.

"Last night?" Kimeru asked before looking at Okiayu. "What happened?"

"We attended a party last night and some people were flirting with her," Okiayu explained easily. "So naturally I had to set them straight."

"That's just like you," Takigawa complimented just as the food arrived.

"Finally, food!" Shirota exclaimed.

"As long as no one got beaten up and got discovered by the press~~" Kimeru commented as he looked at the food in front of them. "Ah, the specialties of this place is really very mouthwatering…" he said before grabbing his chopsticks.

"Itadakimasu!"

-break-

Over lunch there was more conversation between the 4 pairs of TezukaFuji couples until all 8 of them were done finishing their meals. Once the seiyuu pair called for the bill and paid accordingly, they rose to their feet.

"Shall we proceed to the studio now?" Okiayu announced.

"Haaaaai~" Shirota said excitedly.

"I can't wait to dub Fuji!" Aiba said with a smile.

"Konomi-sensei can't either~" Yuki told them, effectively making the others look at her.

"K-Konomi-sensei will be there?" Kimeru asked hesitantly.

Yuki smiled and nodded.

"When he heard that you were coming over to try dubbing Tezuka and Fuji he cancelled all his schedules today to come to the studio and watch," Okiayu explained.

Daisuke was muttering incoherently to himself, earning a pat from Takigawa. "It takes some time to get used to this," he reassured him with a smile.

"But it's... it's...!" Daisuke stuttered.

"Konomi-sensei~" Shirota finished for him.

"Wow…then we better not disappoint him!" Aiba cheered.

Kimeru nodded. "If we're lucky we can get some autographs~" he said with a grin.

"I bet he'll give you one in exchange for yours Mr. Pop idol," Yuki teased.

"I want one!" Daisuke exclaimed, earning him a collective glance. "What?"

"Sometimes I wonder what Ueshima-sensei saw in you," Shirota said with a chuckle.

"Speak for yourself Shirotan," Takigawa countered.

"Point taken point taken," Shirota said, raising his hands in surrender before he got to his feet. "Are we going or not?"

"It's alright, Daisuke, we all know how big a fan you became of the series~" Furukawa said with a chuckle before getting up.

Kimeru nodded. "So convoy all the way to the back parking of the studio?" he asked the two.

Yuki nodded. "We can't risk you all using the front entrance. We might have press flocking in mere minutes."

"That's the very thing we want to avoid," Takigawa agreed with a nod.

Okiayu took out his car keys. "Then let's get going so we have time to chit-chat and make fun of each other in the studio," he said as he led the group out to the parking.

-break-

A short drive to the studio later, the group found themselves in the main building of the studio.

"This place brings back memories..." Kimeru mused as they walked down the hall towards the recording studio.

"Yes it does, especially that time when Takigawa-kun dropped buy just to annoy you," Yuki teased. "The chemistry between you two was undeniable~" she chirped before stopping by the door. "Here we are~ And there's Konomi-sensei," she said as she spotted the mangaka watching a newly dubbed episode.

"Konomi-sensei~" the rest greeted with a bow.

Pausing the episode he was watching, Konomi grinned before getting to his feet. "Aha! I've been waiting for you all to get here~" he said cheerfully, eying the group before raising his eyebrows at Daisuke and walked up to him."You must be the latest Tezuka Yukio told me about," he stated, patting him on the shoulder. "Welcome aboard the Tenimyu group~"

"He's a big fan, Konomi-sensei," Shirota stated.

"Is he now?" Konomi said in interest. Daisuke nodded dumbly as the mangaka pulled him inside. "Then I'll bet you'll want an autograph!"

"Konomi-sensei! Me too!" Kimeru called out as he approached the mangaka. "You never gave me one after even I made two songs for the series!" he complained with a pout.

-break-

Takigawa chuckled. "He never fails to give an astounding first impression, Konomi-sensei."

Okiayu nodded in agreement.

Aiba, in the meantime, was already looking around the room. "I never imagined recording studios would be...huge..." he said.

"Oh, that's just for Tenipuri. Others are much smaller, depends on the cast, really," Yuki told him.

"It's much easier to have a huge space so we can maximize recording time for each episode," Okiayu explained further.

-break-

After signing an autograph for Daisuke and handed it to him, Konomi turned to Kimeru with a mock pout. "That's because you never gave _me_ one either!" he complained.

Kimeru pouted and looked around the room, "Is that so.." he said before reaching in his bag and pulled out his latest album, "Good thing I always come prepared!" he cheered before grabbing a marker and signing it and handed it to Konomi-sensei. "There! Now where's mine?" he asked.

Furukawa chuckled at this. "Famous people..." he said in amusement.

Konomi matched it and pulled out a copy of the latest Tenipuri chapter, signed it and handed it to the J-Pop singer. "Now we're even~"

Okiayu smirked. "If we're about done can we proceed to the dubbing now?" he inquired.

"Douzo~" the mangaka replied cheerfully.

"Let's head into this recording room, then," the Tezuka seiyuu instructed, pulling open the door and gestured the others to enter.

"Sugoi~ Look at these controls!" Shirota said excitedly.

"Don't touch anything, Shirotan," Takigawa warned him.

Piling in the room the actors looked around. "This is just so cool..." Aiba stated.

"So which episode are we dubbing?" Furukawa asked.

"The one with the most TezukaFuji action, their ranking match~" Yuki informed them. "And afterwards, you can dub whatever you like. Play around with the dialogues and such."

"Which pair wants to go first?" Okiayu offered.

Takigawa pushed Shirota and Aiba forward. "I'm sure these two have been anxious since they brought up the idea in the first place," the first Tezuka actor stated.

Shirota grinned. "Yosh! We get to go first!" he cheered.

Okiayu nodded. "Head into the recording room then," he said, pointing to the inner room where the mics were.

"I hope we don't screw up~" Aiba said as he scanned the scripts that were inside, "Ah, perfect pair fluff~" he commented with a grin.

Shirota pulled the headphones on and read the script. "This should be fun~" he said before he prepared to get into the role.

-break-

"You really love putting underlying yaoi moments in there, don't you?" Kimeru said as he looked at the screen. "No wonder the fans go wild in myus," he told Konomi-sensei.

"That episode never happened in the manga, remember?" Konomi reminded him after chuckling. "The first and only time a Tezuka-Fuji confrontation will happen will be during the Nationals arc when Fuji will be playing against Niou."

Daisuke glanced over to the mangaka at these words. "So Seigaku will be playing against Rikkai again in the finals?" he asked eagerly.

Konomi nodded. "A fitting end to the tournament, wouldn't you agree?" the mangaka stated cheerfully.

"But it was this episode that caught a lot of attention for the pair," Takigawa said conversationally.

Konomi nodded in agreement.

"Anytime you two are ready," Okiayu said through the mic from the control room.

"You still gave it permission to go on air," Kimeru pointed out before the two inside the booth started dubbing. "But I bet you have those unpublished chapters somewhere in those files," the singer said with a grin.

Konomi chuckled. "Saa," he said cheekily as they turned their attention to Shirota and Aiba.

"Shirota's gone into Tezuka mode," Takigawa observed.

"Some goes for Aiba," Okiayu added.

"They're semi-acting it out, how cute~" Yuki said as she filmed them with her video camera. "This would make a great footage for reunions," she told them before looking at the screen. "They add so much chemistry to the characters."

"That's the miracle of the TezukaFuji magic for you," Okiayu commented before turning to Takigawa and Kimeru. "I'm interested to see how these two pull it off, though."

"The original Tenimyu TezukaFuji couple..." Konomi announced. "How exciting~"

Takigawa shook his head. "Don't expect too much. You might get disappointed."

"I'm sure we won't be, Takigawa-kun," Konomi reassured him.

Looking at the others, Kimeru grinned. "Voice acting isn't really different from recording songs so I'm sure we won't be much of a disappointment since we have experience recording before," he admitted.

"Right Eiji?"

Takigawa nodded before turning to the pair of second generation TezukaFuji actors inside the booth. "If you think about it they've had their own experiences coming out with Best Actor Series," he offered.

Daisuke blinked. "Best Actor Series?" he repeated in slight confusion.

"It's a trend that started with the first cast. Ueshima-sensei picks one of the Tenimyu cast to make a best actor series CD that's filled with songs of that person from both the Myu and not," Yun explained before patting Daisuke on the head.

"Actually it started with Shirotan," Takigawa clarified, jerking a thumb to the second cast pair. "Shirotan's was the first, which was followed by Hyoutei's Kazuki and Aibacchi, along with KENN."

"And I bet you anything that Daisuke will have his own when the time comes~" Yun chirped.

Kimeru chuckled. "If Yun said it, then all that's left is to wait for that moment," he told them.

"I agree," Takigawa agreed.

-break-

"And we're clear," Okiayu stated through the microphone to the second cast actors, who headed out of the booth. Konomi excused himself after getting a phone call, stating that he had to attend to urgent business and wished them well.

"That was a lot of fun!" Shirota chimed, heading back towards the group.

"Yes it was~" Aiba said with a nod of agreement, "So who's next?" he asked as he looked around and spotted the autographed CD. "I realized something..." he said. "After knowing Kime-nii for so long we haven't gotten an autographed CD even once!"

Kimeru blinked at him. "Eh?" he said. "I never gave you one?" he asked.

"No you didn't bother to," Shirota pointed out.

Takigawa chuckled before gesturing to the booth. "Our turn, Kime," he pointed out.

Okiayu arranged some things and dials before nodding over to the first cast pair.

"Hmmm move over for a bit Ryou," Yuki said with a sly smile before adjusting something on the switchboard. "Kime try saying something on the mic."

"E-to...hi?" Kimeru tried.

Aiba blinked before bursting out laughing. "Kime-nii! You sound like a girl!" he exclaimed.

Yun looked away to hide the fact that he was laughing along.

"Mou!" came the singer's complaint.

"You still sound nice," Takigawa pointed out, halfway into the booth to hear the outcome. "And sexy," he added slyly.

"Well said Takigawa," Okiayu complimented.

Shirota and Daisuke, however, couldn't hold their laughter and burst out laughing.

"I should get Kime to dub something sexy for Takigawa-kun afterwards then," Yuki said with a smile.

"Hey!" Kimeru said in protest.

"That would be an interesting thing to have, won't you agree Takigawa-kun?" she asked, ignoring Kimeru's protest.

Takigawa nodded, giving Yuki a thumbs-up gesture as he entered the booth with Kimeru and put on the headphones for the dialogue.

"Now I want to hear _Hiropiyo _sound like that," Shirota thought sinisterly under his breath.

"I'm sure we can do something about that," Yuki said with a chuckle, "Stay behind with Kime, Aiba-kun," she instructed before gazing over at Furukawa. "You too, Furukawa-kun."

"Hai~" The two Fuji actors responded.

_'This will be a lot of fun~'_ Yun thought with a very Fuji-ish chuckle as he glanced at Daisuke.

"What do you expect _us _to do while waiting then?" Okiayu fired over to the Fuji seiyuu.

"I'm sure we can think of something~" Shirota chimed in.

Daisuke frowned and turned away to hide a blush that was creeping up on his cheeks at the idea of the Fujis.

"You can let the boys watch those dubs we made for fun in the post production room," Yuki suggested.

"Dubbed for fun?" Aiba repeated in curiosity.

"You'd be surprised at what bored seiyuus can think of, Aiba-kun," Yuki said with a chuckle.

"Is that like the RajiPuri experience you guys gave us on your first visit?" Shirota inquired.

Okiayu nodded an affirmative. "Yes. Only this time you see the anime with a different, impromptu dialogue," he explained.

"We're ready when you are!" Takigawa called from inside the booth.

"Hai, we're starting," Yuki told them before playing the record button on the switchboard.

Yun smiled as he watched them record and leaned back on the wall. "Yuki-san didn't change the voicing," he pointed out.

"Oh, was I supposed to?" she asked innocently.

"Be prepared to face the wrath of Kimeru once this is over," Okiayu cautiously pointed out, but was wearing a smirk on his face.

"Oh don't worry too much," Yuki said pleasantly. "I'm sure Kime will find this amusing...in the long run once Eiji-kun has his way with him," she added with a sadistic little chuckle.

"But doesn't he almost always have his way with Kimeru?" Okiayu fired back, suppressing a grin.

"I'll attest to that!" Shirota pointed out to the Tezuka seiyuu.

-break-

Kimeru pouted at them and scribbled a: "I HEARD THAT!" sign and showed it to the group outside the booth, causing the rest to laugh at his expression.

Takigawa chuckled before pulling Kimeru close for a sudden kiss.

-break-

"And that's exactly why Kime-nii doesn't leave Eiji-nii," Shirota stated proudly.

Daisuke blinked. _'So that's how it is...'_

Aiba, who had miraculously acquired a video am, taped cast 1's impromptu make-out session in the recording booth. "More for the archives," he said happily.

"How many videos does that make of them?" Shirota asked, moving up close to his husband with a sly grin.

"15 videos in total," Aiba answered with a grin.

"That's quite a lot of videos already. Where do you keep them all?" Yuki asked.

"In my 16GB USB~" Aiba said proudly. "…though I may need a new one soon."

"Then we should get an external hard drive for you," Shirota answered.

Aiba nodded appreciatively. "That's a good idea. At least I won't lose that so easily," he said thoughtfully.

"Yosh, I think we have enough for Takigawa-kun and Kimeru-kun," Okiayu announced before turning to Daisuke and Furukawa. "The last Tezuka Fuji couple then?" he offered.

"Go on, go on!" Shirota encouraged, pushing the two towards the booth that Takigawa and Kimeru had just vacated.

"And there goes the latest couple," Aiba said with a smile. "Nice job, Kime-nii~ Eiji-nii~" he complimented the two actors that just came out.

Kimeru sighed. "Voice acting really is much different from recording."

"Of course it is," Okiayu said as Daisuke and Furukawa entered the booth together. "That's why we let you focus on recording and we do what we voice actors can do best."

"Which is really a lot of hard work," Takigawa offered; the Tezuka seiyuu nodding firmly.

A few minutes into the dubbing, Yuki looked at Takigawa hesitantly. "Is it me or does Furukawa-kun's voice make the dialog sound like it's full of sexual innuendos?" she asked.

"I agree, actually..." Kimeru said.

"You could say that Furukawa is just a bit _too_ into this dubbing activity," Takigawa offered.

"Either that or he just wants to seduce Dai-nii to no end," Shirota added with a chuckle, noticing that Daisuke was trying very, very hard not to stumble with his words.

"I think I'll go with Yuu's guess," Aiba said with a chuckle.

"I'd have to say the same, after all...Yun is starting to smirk at Daisuke," Kimeru pointed out.

"Smirking? But he's just smiling," Yuki said in slight confusion.

"He's a Fuji that way," Shirota and Takigawa offered as an explanation.

-break-

Soon, the last pair emerged from the recording booth.

"Daisuke, you're looking flushed...are you alright?" Furukawa asked his partner with a worried look.

"Maybe he needs to _lay down_ for a while," Kimeru suggested slyly.

Daisuke glared over to Kimeru and nodded. "I'm alright, I'm alright," he reassured his partner.

"That was good work, everybody," Okiayu complimented, wheeling around to face the three sets of actors. "Congratulations~"

"That was a lot of fun. We should do this more often!" Shirota suggested.

"I agree, but next time we should try dubbing something else~" Yuki said.

"Like what?" Aiba asked curiously.

"A racing anime, maybe?" Yuki suggested as she looked over at Kimeru who immediately looked away.

Shirota blinked innocently at this. "Racing?" he repeated.

Okiayu glanced over to Kimeru as well and chuckled. "Yes, that would make an interesting session. Na, Kimeru-kun?" he teased.

Takigawa turned to his husband and frowned, catching the glances from the seiyuus to Kimeru. "What are they talking about?"

"I have no idea!" Kimeru defended before looking at the voice actors. "Racing...how silly..." he said before putting his left hand behind his back after feeling it twitch instantly at the mention of the sport.

"I suddenly remember the time that you had that little need-for-speed session when Takigawa-kun was kidnapped from the hospital," Aiba said thoughtfully. "I only heard it from Moriyama-senpai but he said it was scary."

"Adrenalin rush," Kimeru waved off.

"He also mentioned that you distinctly said you raced before," Shirota added.

"Yeah he did," Daisuke confirmed pointedly.

"Whaaaaaat?" Takigawa exclaimed.

_**~Things kept in the dark~**_

"Ah he heard wrong!" Kimeru defended as he waved his hands in front of him. "Besides, I wouldn't have time to race! I had projects left and right!" he explained. "Tell them Yuki!"

"Well...you had nights off if you didn't have concerts," Yuki said thoughtfully.

"Gaah! You're not helping!"

Furukawa smiled as raised his index finger. "And I should remind you all that the most dangerous kind of racing are the ones that happen during the night."

"Furukawa!"

"It's practically useless to hide your night racing career from them any longer, Kimeru," Daisuke pointed out slyly to his friend.

"Night racing? Sugoi!" Shirota cheered.

"Takigawa Kazuko!" Takigawa reprimanded. "Why didn't you tell me about any of this?"

"Igh!" Kimeru exclaimed before stiffly facing his husband. "E-to..." he started hesitantly. "Because I knew that you'd never approve of it?" he suggested. "I already retired though so...ahahahaha..." he added nervously.

"Not true. He has a race in a few days~" Yuki said as she held up a pass.

Takigawa frowned deeply, glancing at his husband. "Kazuko..."

"Now now, Takigawa-kun. Let's not jump to any hasty conclusions..." Okiayu tried. "He's actually quite good."

"Hasn't been in an accident yet," Daisuke added.

"Wow, that's amazing," Shirota admitted.

"Maybe seeing him race would put you at ease?" Furukawa suggested as he moved up to the first Tezuka actor. "Then you can decide if you're going to tell him to stop or not," he reasoned out.

Kimeru frantically shook his head in the background.

"Sou da sou da! I agree with Furukawa! Let's all go watch Kazu-nii race in the next event!" Aiba said in agreement.

Takigawa blinked at Furukawa before turning to Kimeru and pursed his lips. "Why do I feel uneasy with this so suddenly..." he muttered out loud.

"Because it's Kime-nii," Shirota provided as a reply.

"And that in itself should be explanation enough," Furukawa supplied before nodding.

Aiba chuckled at the development. "Looks like we're seeing a race!" he told Shirota happily.

Shirota nodded fervently. "This should be exciting!" Daisuke groaned, causing the second Tezuka actor to look his way. "Something wrong, Dai-nii?" he asked.

Daisuke shook his head. "Ah, no… Not really. I'm okay. Nothing's wrong."

"I don't believe you," Takigawa said pointedly. "Something else we need to know, Daisuke?" he asked.

Daisuke glanced over to Furukawa before shaking his head.

"Kimeru...is that the race along the mountainside?" Furukawa asked casually.

Kimeru nodded. "That's the one...why?" he said before carefully looking at the other Fuji actor.

Furukawa chuckled before pulling out a red pass. "I'm going to be your opponent~" he said in amusement.

"...the tone wasn't right..." Aiba said as he felt a chill run down his spine.

"Going blindly into a challenge... Isn't that so much like Kime-nii?" Shirota asked.

"Same with Yun apparently," Daisuke commented.

"On the contrary, I knew it was Kimeru...that's why I joined~" Furukawa said happily before pocketing the card.

"Then this is one race I really want to see," Aiba chirped.

"Hai...I've always wanted to go against the 'Midnight drifter'," Furukawa added with a chuckle.

"Just don't bring me along this time, Yun," Daisuke whined.

Furukawa inwardly chuckled before looking over at Daisuke. "But Daisuke...you're my lucky charm," he reasoned out. "I haven't lost a single race ever since you rode shotgun," he told him.

"But I get a heart attack and nearly throw up every single time!" Daisuke complained.

"Kime-nii even has a nickname?" Aiba asked incredulously.

"Kazuko..." Takigawa began again in a serious tone.

Kimeru twitched as he looked at his husband. "Er...people think of the weirdest nicknames?" he said as an excuse.

Takigawa groaned before nodding. "Fine, fine. We'll go see this race of yours... I'm riding shotgun along with you," he told Kimeru.

"Wah, you're so lucky then!" Shirota exclaimed.

"Are you sure you want to do that, Takigawa?" Daisuke asked.

"Well if he wants to we can't really stop him," Furukawa said with a chuckle. "Takigawa Eiji is Takigawa Eiji that way."

Kimeru sighed. "Well...I guess all that's left is to wait for the race to know the fate of my racing career," he said.

+++May 9, 2007+++

It was the night of the race and a few racing enthusiasts began to gather and form a crowd.

Aiba paled as he looked at the road. "That's...a steep road," he said before swallowing the lump in his throat. "I'm not so sure about the race anymore," he told them.

"Oh look, Daisuke~ it's one of those fun roads~" Furukawa pointed out in delight, causing a cold shudder to run down Aiba's spine.

"But you're the only one who thinks that, Yun..." Daisuke complained, trying to avert his gaze from the road as much as possible.

Shirota, in the meanwhile, was holding out two flags to Aiba, both with chibified versions of Kimeru and Furukawa. "If they're as good as they say they are then you don't have anything to worry about~" he told his husband. "Of course... this explains their crazy driving in normal situations..." he added. "So anyway, just cheer with me, okay?"

Takigawa observed the road as well before glancing at Kimeru. "Kazu... were you even planning on telling me about this hobby of yours?" he asked his husband pointedly.

"Nope," Kimeru said thoughtfully before putting on his trademark shades. Hearing a familiar revving of an engine behind him, he smirked. "My car's here~" he said happily.

-break-

"Wow...Check out that sleek black car..." Aiba said in awe as he stared at it before noticing a car behind it. "...check out the blood red car..." he said before shuddering again. "Must be Furukawa's," he concluded.

-break-

Furukawa looked at the cars and smirked. "There's my baby..." he said.

Jumping at hearing the revving engine, Daisuke glanced behind them. _'Gah, the cars are here!'_ he thought in panic, wondering if he still had the chance to flee.

It was Takigawa who stopped him. "You're doing this with me, Daisuke," he informed the upcoming Tezuka actor.

"But-but-but!" Daisuke complained.

-break-

"GAMBATTE!" Shirota cried through a megaphone he brought along.

"This should be a most interesting spectacle..." Okiayu pointed out with a chuckle, arriving with Yuki, as well as Konomi and Ueshima.

"Ah, even Konomi-sensei and Ueshima-sensei are here!" Shirota identified.

"We heard Kimeru and Yun were racing tonight. And since we really didn't have much else to do... we decided to come by and see things for ourselves," Ueshima replied.

"It would take a miracle to win against Kimeru," Konomi said in amusement. "I would know."

Aiba blinked and looked at him. "You mean...you went against Kime-nii already before?" he asked.

"Saa," the mangaka answered before chuckling to himself.

"That was the only time he went off racing," Ueshima pointed out.

This time, it was Shirota's turn to shift attention, glancing to the director. "Eh? How did you know that?"

Ueshima chuckled, wagging his finger. "Mada mada dane," was all he replied.

-break-

"Let's go Daisuke~" Furukawa said as he caught Daisuke by the arm and dragged him to the aligned cars.

"But !" Daisuke cried out in protest, flailing his arms about as he was dragged off.

-break-

"Come on, Eiji!" Kimeru cheered.

Takigawa watched this display before chuckling and following Kimeru to his car. Getting into his seat, he turned to his husband and frowned. "Are you sure it's safe for you to be wearing shades _at night_, Kazu?"

"Relax, Eiji. I do it all the time," Kimeru said as he looked at his husband. "Seatbelt," he reminded him before pulling out a white bandage and wrapped it around his arm before wrapping it around the steering wheel as well.

Halfway through pulling the seatbelt across him, Takigawa noticed what Kimeru was doing and frowned deeply. "Aren't you going to hurt your wrist that way?" he asked in alarm.

-break-

Konomi smirked when he saw this. "He's serious tonight, Yukio," he pointed out. "He's securing his hand on the steering wheel, just like he did during our race."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Aiba asked.

"Very...but this is Kimeru we're talking about. He's beyond danger."

Aiba blinked before looking at the other car. "Furukawa's car is heavily tinted so we can't really tell what's going on in there."

"That's because his opponent is Yun, Takeru," Ueshima mused. "And I don't think he understands the meaning of danger... which would explain why he gets into accidents outside the racing life," Ueshima added.

Shirota glanced at the two senseis. "Hang on..." he muttered, glancing from one to the other and pointing at them with his Kimeru flag. "You just called each other by first names..." he realized, furrowing his brows. "Which means-"

Whatever Shirota was going to say was cut off with a frantic yell from the inside of Furukawa's car.

-break-

"!" Daisuke cried again, finding himself strapped down almost against his will. "I _REALLY_ don't want to do this again!"

Chuckling rather evilly, Furukawa finished the last of the straps around Daisuke. "Oh Daisuke, if you could only understand the fun that this brings me," he said in a sickeningly sweet voice before patting the older on the head. "Now you be a good boy and keep your eyes on the road this time," he said before laughing lowly.

-break-

Outside, Kato Kazuki walked up to the middle of the cars. Hearing the two drivers rev up the engines, he smirked. "Ore sama no bigi ni...yoi na," he told the crowd who started cheering. Looking at the two cars, the Atobe actor raised his hand before bringing it down. "Itte Yosh!" he cried out and instantly the two vehicles lurched forward at instantaneous torque.

-break-

"Yosh, it's started~" Okiayu noted as the two cars sped off.

Shirota wheeled around to see this before raising two flags up and waving them. "GO KIME-NII! GO YUN!" he cheered.

"Who'll win, I wonder..." Ueshima thought to himself, stroking his chin before side-glancing over to Konomi. "What do you think, Takeru?"

"Who knows...Furukawa's a racing prodigy," Konomi said as he casually placed an arm around Ueshima's waist, causing a sudden silence among the tenimyu crowd as they stared at the two senseis. "Yes?" Konomi asked with a smile and they all pointedly turned away and looked at the other side of the cliff to watch who will reach the end first.

"None of them know yet, so you shouldn't be surprised that they're stunned, Takeru," Ueshima lightly scolded the mangaka, but was obviously grinning before returning their attention to the race at hand.

Shirota was waving the flags over his head endlessly now at this point.

-break-

Inside Kimeru's car, Takigawa was forced back into his seat for most of the race, pretty much unable to comment about how fast he was going, nor the dangerous drifts he was performing to perfection at every corner. _'I'll give him that,'_ he concluded.

-break-

Meanwhile, in Furukawa's car, Daisuke closed and opened his eyes at every other interval, even though he was quite secure during the drive. If anything, he just got terribly dizzy from the fast-pace of the vehicle they were in.

-break-

Nakagauchi smirked as he saw the cars approaching the finish line.

Calmly waiting in the middle of the road, he merely watched as they got nearer.

"Hey...won't he get hit?" Aiba asked in alarm.

"Relax, Aiba-kun, Nakagauchi-kun's a pro~" Yuki said brightly.

The two cars screeched to a halt just a few inches shy from Nakagauchi who merely let out a low whistle. "It's a tie!" he proclaimed.

A great round of cheer and applause broke out. The crowd that gathered ended up being most of the current Tenimyu casts who were invited to watch, along with some voice actors working on Tenipuri.

"Sugoooi!" Shirota cheered.

-break-

Takigawa held his breath before finally sighing in relief once they came to a halt, glancing over to Kimeru. "So this is why you drive so reckless on normal roads, huh?" he teased, smirking.

Using a cutter to remove his bandaged hand from the wheel, Kimeru smirked. "You've got to admit...the adrenalin is just amazing," he said cheekily as he got out of the car.

-break-

Furukawa, who had unbound Daisuke and kissed him silly, stepped out as well and the two drivers shook hands.

"I didn't expect any less from you, Yun~" Kimeru said with a wink.

"Likewise," the younger answered.

Peeking over Furukawa's shoulder, Kime frowned. "What happened to Daisuke?" he asked as he noticed Kanesaki Kentarou and Nakagauchi helping him out.

"Oh you know him...strong in the shins, weak in the stomach," Yun answered casually.

"No wonder he kept on insisting to sit it out," Takigawa remarked, moving up beside Kimeru as he nodded to Furukawa.

"No more... no more..." Daisuke muttered repeatedly, his head spinning.

"You can relax now, Daisuke," Kentarou informed him.

Shirota and Aiba made their way over to the group with matching grins.

"That was a great race!" Shirota exclaimed before glancing over to Daisuke. "I think I just feel bad for Dai-nii a little bit," he added.

"He's always like this after Yun's races," Kentarou told him with a smirk, gesturing over to Nakagauchi who was handing the future Tezuka actor a barf bag.

Nakagauchi nodded as he guided Daisuke to the side to relax and lean on a tree. "We never really find out why, puri~" he told the group.

Kimeru looked at Furukawa who merely gave him an 'I'm not telling~' expression.

"Well in any case...it was a tie," Aiba said. "What happens now?" he asked.

Nakagauchi frowned. "Does this mean we're not drinking till morning this time?" he asked.

Konomi looked around at the group hopefully, keeping his fingers crossed behind him.

"Drink until morning?" Takigawa repeated with a frown, turning to the two Fuji actors who had just raced.

Ueshima took this time to grab Konomi by the collar. "We'll pass on that offer. Takeshi's had enough drinking parties with his fellow mangakas," he told the group before promptly dragging the Tenipuri mangaka away.

"But but...Yukioooooo!" came Konomi's fading whine as he was dragged away towards the parked cars.

"...So who knew that the senseis were together...?" Shirota suddenly piped up.

After hearing Shirota's question, only Furukawa raised his hand. "I'm not surprised," Kimeru answered.

"Rephrase then. Who suspected?" Nakagauchi asked before numerous hands shot up. "As expected, puri~"

"How long? Or... since when, then?" Shirota piped up, turning to Furukawa who seemed to have known about it already.

"I must admit even I didn't notice it until just now..." Takigawa pointed out.

"Somewhere between after we graduated from Mitsukaru and before I entered the Tenimyu world," Furukawa said. "When exactly would need further investigation, I'm afraid," he said with a smile.

"That's a lot of years to cover," Aiba said.

Kimeru thought for a while. "Unless we assume that it was when Ueshima-sensei started working on myu that the chemistry started. That's plausible, isn't it?" he asked the group.

"Or that was the reason _why_ he agreed to do Tenimyu?" Takigawa offered.

"You can all just ask Nakagauchi," Kentarou suddenly said, causing the group to turn to the Sanada actor.

"Well, now that you mention it, Nakagauchi-kun was the one always investigating even during our Senior High years," Shirota considered.

Daisuke, who had finally managed to calm down efficiently, wobbled over to Furukawa, leaning on him for support before shaking his head and joining in the discussion. "Is this about... the sensei pair?" he asked.

"Yes it is," Furukawa said as he patted Daisuke on the head.

Nakagauchi in the meantime, smirked and crossed his arms. "I was waiting for you to think of that, puri~" he told them. "Takigawa's take on it is more correct, but if you want the whole story," he said before pointing at Moriyama. "You have to ask the person who Ueshima-sensei himself told it to."

_'MORIYAMA!'_ came a collective thought of realization as they all turned to the first generation Momoshiro.

"Hmm? Nani?" Moriyama inquired when he saw the group looking at him.

"So Ueshima-sensei told you about it?" Shirota asked incredulously.

"Eh?"

"Him and Konomi-sensei," Kentarou, who was closer to him, clarified.

"OH! Them! Yeah, he did~" Moriyama confirmed with a grin.

"You didn't even tell _me_," Yanagi said with a frown before sulkily looking away.

"Hehe, well you never asked, Kotaro..." Moriyama defended.

"What are you waiting for then?" Kimeru demanded. "Tell us already how the heck it came to be!"

Turning to Kimeru, Moriyama grinned, bringing his hands up. "Okay, okay. Calm down, I'll get to it now," he told the singer. "Well, it was after Takigawa's batch graduated from Mitsukaru, so that was the time, Shirotan over there was the Student Council president. Ueshima was still teaching there and all, and—"

"So why were you still in touch with him?" Shirota interrupted.

"Shirotan, it's rude to interrupt," Takigawa scolded.

"Haha, it's alright, Takigawa," Moriyama assured him. "The reason I was still in touch with him was because he wanted to keep in touch with the alumni," he explained.

"So that explained why that time between Senior High and now didn't really leave your mind. Because you were constantly asked to keep tabs on everybody," Shirota pointed out.

"You, Kazu and Aibacchi are the few who forgot about it, actually," Takigawa remarked.

"Anyway, one afternoon, Ueshima-sensei was doing his rounds around the school during club time when he spotted Konomi-sensei watching the tennis club."

"Oh, now I remember that~" Tuti cried, grinning. "I was visiting the tennis club at the time!"

_**~Road to the Prince of Tennis~**_

_**A man sighed to himself as he continued watching the Mitsukaru tennis team. **__'Why in the world do I keep running out of ideas for character sketches?'__** he thought to himself in annoyance. **__'Especially that captain that I created...he gives me the worst headaches,' __**he added as he pocketed his hands. **__'Snap out of it, Takeru...' __**he scolded himself. **'You're not here to rant...you're here to think of the rest of the team to put in there.'_

_**"Aaah! Toyoda-senpai are you alright?" a voice called out.**_

_**"I'm okay," came a sheepish answer. "Sorry about that, Kyou-chan."**_

_**Watching this exchange, the man smirked. "I did need a doubles pair," he said before pulling out a small notebook and did some random sketches based on the pair. "Now all I need...is a muse...for Echizen-"**_

_**"Ochibi! You didn't need to hit the ball so hard! You hit Toyoda-senpai!" The one called 'Kyou-chan' yelled.**_

_**At the other end of the court a freshman with a cap on pulled the bill of his cap down. "It wasn't my fault he didn't evade it..." he muttered out in complaint.**_

_**"Sakurada! Apologize to him!" came Ishibashi Yusuke's reprimand toward the freshman.**_

_**Sakurada Doori tipped his hat up and instead of apologizing, he smirked. "Mada mada dane, Toyoda-senpai."**_

_**"Interesting catch phrase..." the man muttered as he looked at the boy and studied his appearance. "...hmm Echizen Ryouma...mada mada dane..." he told himself as he made a few more rough sketches in his notebook.**_

_**Tuti, who came to visit practice quite randomly that day, chuckled at Yusuke scolding Sakurada before he spotted the man watching the club from a measurable distance away. **__'I've never seen that guy around here before... I wonder what he's doing...?'_ _**he thought to himself before he spotted Ueshima-sensei doing his rounds. Finding this to be the perfect time, he exited the tennis courts and moved up to him. "Ueshima-sensei!"**_

_**"Ah, Tsuchiya-kun~" Ueshima identified.**_

_**Tuti bowed before they watched tennis practice for a while. "Sensei, would you happen to know who that man is over there?" he asked, gesturing over to the mysterious man.**_

_**Furrowing his brows, Ueshima shook his head. "Not that I know of... Wait here, I'll go see who this is we're dealing with," he said before moving to approach him.**_

_**Not really noticing Ueshima**_ _**approaching, the man continued to sketch and nod to himself. **__'I just need a few more muses to complete the set of 9 characters...'_ _**he thought before nodding again. "Yosh, I guess I need to watch a few more people."**_

_**The teacher approached him before clearing his throat. "Excuse me," he said, calling the man's attention.**_

_'Ueshima-sensei doesn't waste time...'_ _**Tuti thought to himself, sweatdropping.**_

_**"Hmm?" the man asked before turning around to look at who called his attention. "Are you talking to m-" he paused and blinked as he stared at Ueshima. "Don't move!" he told him before looking at his appearance and hurriedly sketched something.**_

_**Blinking in confusion, Ueshima chose to comply for the time being and waited until the man was done sketching whatever it was he was sketching. "Y-Yes, well, I was wondering what you were doing here on school ground," he stated professionally after sub-consciously clearing his throat.**_

_**"A-Ah! Sorry about that!" the man said shyly. "I was looking for muses for my new work," he explained. "I'm a mangaka, you see," he continued. "The name's Kushranada Takeru...my pen name is Konomi Takeshi."**_

_**"DID YOU SAY KONOMI TAKESHI?" came a cry from the other side of the fence. "You're the one who makes the manga 'Cool ~Rental Bodyguard~'!"**_

_**"K-Kyou-chan... It's rude to yell like that," the one called Toyoda said in embarrassment.**_

_**"I-I'm surprised you know of that Manga..." Konomi said in genuine surprise.**_

_**"Are you kidding me? I have all 3 volumes that are out!" Kyou continued.**_

_**"Hamao, get back to practice!" Yusuke cried out before he was hit on the head with a read. "Ooof!"**_

_**"Ishibashi... Are you trying to do my job... again?" came a voice from behind him.**_

_**All activities stopped as the current tennis club captain, Baba Ryouma entered the courts.**_

_**"Baba-buchou!" they all chorused with matching bows of respect.**_

_**"Ishibashi, go run some laps," Ryouma said sternly.**_

_**"Eh? What for?"**_

_**"For pretending to be me."**_

_**"Urk! How many...?"**_

_**Ryouma considered it for a moment. "20."**_

_**Konomi averted his gaze to the court again and marveled at the scene before turning a page in his notebook and started sketching again. "Seishun Gakuen Tennis club," he muttered in glee as he finished his rough drawing. "Oh sorry about that," he told Ueshima as he turned to face him again. **__'Odd...the moment this guy showed up...the images and inspiration just kept coming,'_ _**he thought to himself as he looked at Ueshima with a rather large smile on his face.**_

**During this time, Ueshima observed Konomi sketch, raising his eyebrows in interest.** _'This is quite the interesting sight indeed...'_ _**he thought to himself, inwardly chuckling. "The name's Ueshima Yukio," he introduced, holding his hand out. "I'm a teacher here at this school."**_

_**"Nice to meet you," Konomi said as he took Ueshima's hand and shook it. "I'm sorry if I disturbed anything...it wasn't my intention," he said in apology. "I was just looking for muses since it is a sports-themed manga and well...Mitsukaru has the best players in the region."**_

_**"Muses, you say?" Ueshima repeated in interest, glancing over to the tennis courts. "So this new project of yours will center on tennis?" he clarified, though that much was already obvious. **__'Better than talking about the weather, for sure,'_ _**he thought to himself.**_

_**Konomi nodded. "Yeah, it's about tennis...a junior high tennis club to be exact," he told him. "Unfortunately, I don't have all of my characters yet so I'm still looking around for muses and possible additional characters," he said before showing the sketch he made based on Ueshima earlier. "Like this guy for example. He's going to be a key character, I'm sure!" he said proudly.**_

_**"That... looks a LOT like me..." Ueshima recognized as Konomi showed him his sketch. Shaking his head in distraction, he looked back up at Konomi. "Have you considered looking at the other clubs as well?" he suggested suddenly. "I'm sure some of them may catch your interest. I can escort you around if you like," he offered.**_

_**"I'd like that," Konomi said in enthusiasm before catching sight of the time from a clock overhead. **__**"Ah crap..." he muttered darkly. "My editor is going to fry me...I'm an hour late!" he said before hurriedly bowing. "I'm sorry Ueshima-sensei but I have to run," he said in apology. "But maybe when I get to come back I'll take you up on your offer!" he told him before bowing again and running off. "Jya na!"**_

_**Ueshima blinked as Konomi ran off, leaving him speechless.**_

Everyone blinked at Moriyama for a moment before bursting out in laughter.

"I feel sorry for Ueshima-sensei now," Shirota pointed out.

"So it was Doori who started that catch phrase!" Minami added.

They stopped and turned to the third cast Echizen.

"So you were a real Echizen back then?" Minami asked his boyfriend.

"Sub-consciously... Maybe," Sakurada replied.

Furukawa, who was mending the campfire, chuckled. "So everything _does_ start at Mitsukaru," he said in amusement before going beside Daisuke, sitting beside him.

"Eh? When did we set up camp?" Shirota realized, looking around.

"In the midst of Moriyama's story," Kentarou supplied cheekily, sitting down beside Yagami Ren who joined them around the campfire.

Daisuke nodded. "Thinking back, practically everyone from the cast attended Mitsukaru at one point or another," he realized.

"What happened after that, Moriyama-senpai?" Aiba asked. "Did Konomi-sensei come back the next day?"

Moriyama turned to Aiba and nodded after promptly pulling Yanagi closer to him. "Yup. He entered the school and Ueshima-sensei was already there in his line of vision as soon as he arrived."

"I'm still waiting for what happens next in the story, Moriyama," Kimeru pointed out as he snacked on some smores.

Aiba blinked. "Wow...so this really is camp," he said in awe.

"You didn't know?" Takigawa asked as he was passing smores around and pointed to the group of tents being pitched.

"...I'm going to pretend not to notice for now," Shirota said, snatching a smore from Takigawa regardless as Moriyama continued with the story.

_**As usual, Ueshima was out doing his rounds again, walking about the school grounds when he passed the front gates, spotting a man carrying some notebooks. Stopping in his tracks, the teacher gave this visitor a few moments of his attention to realize that this was the same man he had met yesterday. **__'__Kushranada Takeru... was it?'_ _**he asked himself before smiling and waving him over.**_

_**"Ueshima-sensei!" he greeted as he jogged over. "I came to take you up on the offer to see the other clubs~" Konomi said with a wide smile. **__'And to see you but I don't think I'll tell you that~'__**he added in his mind as his smile turned to a silly grin.**_

_**Flashing a smile in return, Ueshima gestured over to the baseball and soccer fields. "You can browse the baseball and soccer clubs to start off with," he suggested, escorting him towards a safe distance from any stray ball that would likely fly off. **__**"I'm not really sure what you're looking for but I hope they help in some way," he added.**_

_**"!"**_

_**Konomi blinked when he heard this. "What was that?" he asked before jogging over to the baseball field and saw a student, hitting what could be deduced as a home run as he yelled various English profanities. "That was..." he muttered before pulling out his notebooks and promptly sat down on the grass and began sketching. "This character...I think I'll call him...Kawamura..."**_

_**"Kotani Yoshikazu, third year section 2," Ueshima pointed out as he sat down beside Konomi and watched him sketch. "It's quite interesting that he's quite the polar opposite outside the baseball club," he pointed out. **__**"He's only like that when he's holding a baseball bat," he supplied.**_

_**"Really?" Konomi asked as he finished the sketch. "I'll add that to the character notes, then," he said happily. **__**"Yosh, Basketball club?" he asked the teacher hopefully.**_

_**"They're in the-"**_

_**"LOOK OUT!" cried Kentarou's voice from the soccer field.**_

_**Ueshima dived and pushed Konomi out of harm's way. Groaning, the teacher found himself sprawled out over the mangaka before glancing down, blushing for a moment. "Are you alright?" he asked.**_

_**"AAAAAAAH! Ueshima-sensei, gomen!" Shirota said as he and Kentarou approached.**_

_**"Your aim was totally off this time, Shirotan," Kentarou scolded.**_

_**"Blame Hiroki for keeping me up late!" the captain whined.**_

_**"Tarondoru!" Kentarou exclaimed.**_

The group laughed out loud at this. "The debut of Sanada Genichirou in the soccer club!" Zukki said amidst his laughter.

"So what were we supposed to blame Aibacchi for again, Shirotan?" Kentarou remarked.

Shirota flailed. "B-But it was really his fault!"

"In the first place, what does you staying up late have to do with not aiming properly? That was still a powerful shot," Kentarou rebutted.

"Mou!" the second Tezuka actor cried, clinging onto Aiba. "Hiropiyo, save me!"

While all this was happening, a figure peeked out from the bushes and spotted a plate of smores unguarded nearby. Famished, he reached out to grab some before ducking out of view.

Aiba grinned before reaching out for the plate of smores beside him. "...eh?" he said before looking at the place where the plate was supposed to be. "The smores are gone!" he exclaimed.

Furukawa, who heard a rustle in the bushes, smiled calmly. "Daisuke~" he said before gesturing to the bushes.

Daisuke glanced behind them and grinned. "I'll be right back~" he chimed before stealthily moving into the bushes to apprehend the smore thief.

Some of the people got off their seats a bit when they heard a ruckus ensue before they heard Daisuke shout, "GOT HIM!" he called before standing, grasping the arm of a young man with patchy clothes who appeared to be a hobo of some sort.

"Let me go!" a new voice argued, trying to pull his arm away.

"That voice..." Takigawa pointed out, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Do you recognize him?" Minami asked.

"Ah. Baba-buchou," Doori identified bluntly.

Silence passed as wind picked up.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Ryouma argued, shaking his head frantically.

Kimeru grinned and suddenly stood up before brandishing two kinds of styling scissors, a razor and a comb. "Hold him down!" he ordered before he practically jumped at the younger boy.

A few minutes passed as Kimeru stepped back and gave the group a chance to take in the cleaned up appearance of the newcomer. "I can't believe it... it's Baba Ryouma, puri!" Nakagauchi exclaimed as they now looked at the man.

"H-How do you know who I am?" Ryouma demanded, but was profusely blushing and averting his gaze.

"Most of us were your schoolmates before in Mitsukaru High," Takigawa explained, gesturing to Shirota, Aiba, Endo, Yanagi, Zukki and TAKUYA. "I would suppose you would at least recognize your classmates at the time?"

"He was?" Shirota exclaimed in surprise, turning promptly to Takigawa.

"Riiiight, he was one of the few who forgot until recently..." Endo pointed out, chuckling as he referred to Shirota.

Sakurada pointed to Ryouma. "Plus he was the Tennis Club captain when I entered Mitsukaru if you remember from the story just now," he added.

Ryouma turned to Sakurada at this mention. "...Sakurada?"

"Mada mada dane, Baba-buchou," Sakurada said cheekily.

"No going Echizen at this time, Doori!" Minami scolded.

"Whaat? I was the one who started it!" Sakuarada defended.

Shirota moved up to him. "What happened to you?" he asked in concern, glancing at his wardrobe. "You look like a hobo!"

Ryouma averted his gaze. "That's because I am," he muttered out in reply.

Blinking for a while, Kimeru and Furukawa looked at one another before simultaneously picking up Baba Ryouma from either side. "Excuse us," the two Fuji's said together before walking off behind some trees. A splash, a yell and a few sounds of struggle later, they came back with the other which was now more presentable.

"There we go, doesn't that feel better?" Kimeru asked as he sat Ryouma down near the fire to get warmed up.

"Where did you get the clothes?" Aiba asked them.

Furukawa grinned. "I always have spares," he answered as he looked at Ryouma who was now clad in boots, jeans, a shirt and a coat.

"So what DID happen to you, puri?" Nakagauchi asked. "You practically fell off the face of the earth!"

"Masa, you shouldn't badger him so suddenly," Toru complained over to the Niou actor.

Fidgeting amidst the crowd, Ryouma kept his gaze low, uncomfortable with the clean set of clothes put on him. "Well... My parents kind of... kicked me out before I could finish college..." he explained feebly.

"Why?" Zukki inquired curiously.

"I think that's kind of obvious..." Ryouma chided, raising his head a little. "They hated me."

"...So were you kicked out or did you run away?" Daisuke clarified.

Ryouma paused before glancing over to the fire. "...I ran away," he finally answered.

"Poor thing," Kimeru said before hugging him.

"So you're a hobo..." Aiba said with a frown. "Well...we can't have that, can we?" he asked before grinning.

Kimeru grinned back and nodded. "Mm~"

Ryouma glanced up at Kimeru and Aiba before blinking. "E-Eh?"

"Perhaps you're interested in being taken in?" Takigawa suddenly suggested, causing Ryouma to stiffen.

"W-What? No, I couldn't possibly... That's..." Ryouma began to ramble on, averting his gaze.

"A valid option...isn't it, Attorney Takigawa?" a voice came from down the road. "Been a while~" the person greeted as he surveyed the group.

Aiba blinked. "That's...that's..."

"AAH! Harukawa Kyousuke from from...from that antagoinst school!" Kimeru exclaimed before getting into defense mode.

"Easy there...I'm not here to make a fuss," Harukawa told them. "I've been trailing that guy ever since he showed up, that's all."

"Why?"

"By the orders of one Kushranada Takeru...after all, that guy is..." he paused before grinning. "The original Tezuka muse."

There was a ringing silence of understanding, recalling Moriyama's story that Baba Ryouma was indeed Konomi-sensei's original muse for Tezuka Kunimitsu.

"I believe the name you're looking for is 'Shizuri High', Kime," Sota pointed out.

"So Konomi-sensei asked _you_ to look for him?" Moriyama inquired curiously.

"Yup, he hired me," Harukawa said with a grin, "I sorta _am_ a detective, you know," he told them as he approached them and examined Baba Ryouma. "But hey, it seems that he's in good hands now," he commented before looking at Takigawa. "Is he?" he asked slyly.

"What are you all talking about now?" Ryouma asked, almost with a 'D8' face.

Takigawa glanced over to Harukawa before shifting his gaze towards his husband. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out an envelope and handed it to Ryouma. "I'll ask you again: Are you interested in being taken in?"

Apprehensively, Ryouma glanced at the envelope. "...By whom?" he ventured.

At this, Takigawa smiled, pulling Kimeru close to him. "By us," he answered.

Ryouma's eyes widened at this opportunity, finding himself utterly speechless.

"Go on, accept it!" Shirota urged him.

Taking out a notebook, just like the good 'ol days, Nakagauchi smirked. "This will be historic, puri~" he commented.

Kime smiled at Ryouma. "Better than being a hobo, ne?" he said with a wink before looking at Moriyama. "After this you're continuing that story!" he told him.

Moriyama laughed. "Hai, hai."

Sheepishly, Ryouma lowered his gaze before nodding in agreement.

With a triumphant smile, Takigawa pulled out the papers from the envelope, grabbed a pen from Daisuke's pocket - "HEY!" - and held it out to Ryouma.

Ryouma blinked incredulously at the documents in front of him.

"I think you know where to sign, Ryouma," Takigawa urged him gently.

Spotting the right spot, he took the pen and shakily signed it before a round of cheers erupted.

"Yosh! Back to the story!" Shirota cried.

Kimeru smiled widely before pulling Ryouma to him when he handed back the papers to Takigawa. "Yosh! Now let's go back to the story of the sensei pair!" he exclaimed before patting Ryouma on the head.

Aiba chuckled before all attention turned back to Moriyama instantly as they continued the tale.

"Anyway...so after they almost got hit by a ball..." Moriyama continued.

_**Having pinned down and not really noticing their positions, Konomi sat up and practically pulled Ueshima close to him. "You!" he exclaimed as he pointed at Kentarou. "Say what you just did again!"**_

_**Ueshima's blush increased madly at this sudden gesture that thankfully went unnoticed by the two boys.**_

_**Kentarou, shaken slightly from scolding Shirota, turned to Konomi. "What? Tarondoru?" he verified.**_

_**"Y-Yes! Exactly that, but do it with more vigor and force!" Konomi exclaimed, "Like...like an emperor!"**_

_**Both Kentarou and Shirota exchanged confused glances at this request.**_

_**Ueshima glanced up at them and mouthed, "Indulge him!"**_

_**Kentarou nodded before glaring at Shirota, recalling his earlier blunder just now. He pointed at him, exclaiming "Tarondoru!"**_

_**Eyes practically sparkling in awe Konomi smiled widely and pulled out a notebook before starting to rapidly sketch while still having the teacher close to him. **__'One of the most powerful players in the ultimate rival theme...this is...this is...'__**he thought as he drew, "Sanada Genichiro!" he exclaimed as he finished the sketch in less than five minutes.**_

_**Another student who happened to be passing by saw this scene and frowned. "...geki dasa daze..." he said.**_

_**Hearing this, Konomi glanced to his side and pointed at him. "You there! Say that again!"**_

_**Glaring, Kenken frowned. "No way old man...che..." he said before walking away.**_

_**Konomi grinned. "He'd be perfect in Hyoutei!" he said before scribbling again.**_

_**Shirota recognized Kenken and frowned. "Oi, Kenken! Why're you skipping practice again?" he cried, running after the boy.**_

_**Kentarou bowed in apology to the two before running off after them.**_

_**Ueshima contemplatively put this into stock. "Kanesaki Kentarou, third year section 2 and Kamakari Kenta, third year section 3," he identified. "Surprisingly, the one who kicked the ball and apologized was the Student Council President and captain of the Soccer club, Shirota Yuu," he said conversationally. "Normally he's not that silly or reckless, though..."**_

_**"I see," Konomi said before looking at the man in his lap and smiled, "So...basketball club?" he asked brightly before noticing the sun setting. "And maybe dinner after since I took most of your time?" he added casually.**_

_**"That would be nice," he said stiffly before quickly getting off of the mangaka's lap and showing him to the gym. "And here's the basketball club," he introduced, gesturing to the group having a practice game.**_

_**Once the mangaka entered he was greeted by one of the players making a perfect dunk in the net just in front of them.**_

_**"Don~" Kaji said with a smirk as he pointed at Araki.**_

_**Konomi blinked. "...Momoshiro..." he muttered before making a few sketches before watching on.**_

"_**Kaji Masaki, third year section 3…" Ueshima muttered in identification.**_

_**"Come on, we can't let them beat us!" Endo called out to his teammates.**_

_**Kaji's dunk, however, got one of his classmates, Ookawa Genki excited. Rather, too excited. Araki, who was teammates with the boy, gulped. "Oh boy, looks like he's about to explode again..." he pointed out.**_

_**"I'm going to crush you aaaaaaall!" Ookawa yelled as he stole the ball from Nobeyama and practically crashed into Araki.**_

_**"Foul!" the referee called before looking at Ookawa. "That's your fifth foul, Ookawa-kun!"**_

_**"Whaaaaaaaaaaat?" Ookawa asked in disbelief before sighing and helping Araki up, "S-sorry about that..." he said with frown.**_

_**"Anger management not working Ookawa?" Kaji teased.**_

_**"Why you!"**_

_**A chase ensued and Konomi merely sketched on.**_

_**Having settled onto a bench, Ueshima glanced at what Konomi was sketching and smiled. "Our students are quite interesting and varied, aren't they? Different personalities... And plenty of inspiration for you to draw from," Ueshima pointed out with a chuckle.**_

_**"Your students are good muses," Konomi admitted as he continued drawing, "But the inspiration doesn't come from them, I'm afraid," he said with a smile. **__**"You're the one who's inspiring me to draw all of this," he told Ueshima as he sketched on. "If you're not here I could just be staring at them and not putting anything together at all."**_

_**Surprised at this, Ueshima glanced over to Konomi again. "And... how did I ever get the honor of becoming your inspiration for all this?" he ventured to ask. **__'Not that I don't want to be considered one but...'__**he added as an afterthought to himself.**_

_**Konomi closed his notebook and smiled at Ueshima. "You just did," he answered simply.**_

_**"The moment I saw you I just knew that I would be able to create something amazing...something that will be remembered," he told him. "...something special."**_

_**Ueshima returned the smile of his own. "...Then I wish you all the best with your new project and look forward to reading it once it's out~" he offered. "Who knows? Perhaps one day in the future we can work together or something." **__'I highly doubt that with our lines of work but meh,'_ _**he thought to himself dismissively.**_

_**Feeling a bit hurt that his advances were blatantly ignored, Konomi managed to retain his smile as he stood up. **__**"I think that's enough sketches for today~" he said in satisfaction. "I believe I promised you dinner?" he asked before hearing a click and a small 'puri' from somewhere.**_

_**"Don't mind Nakagauchi-kun," Ueshima informed the mangaka. "He's part of the school paper and is in charge or the rumors around the school," he explained with a chuckle. **__**"Though I was hoping that perhaps I could offer**__**you**__**dinner instead?" he suggested, a small tint of a blush on his cheeks. "One of my students almost hit you with a soccer ball, after all. I feel partially responsible."**__'And I realized I like you a lot but just can't say it out loud!'_ _**he ended in his mind.**_

_**Konomi blinked. "Well...I guess that's okay," he said before managing a glance at the boy called Nakagauchi as he snuck away. **__**"Won't you be in some sort of trouble because of that student?" he asked as they walked out of the gym.**_

_**"Normally, yes I would," Ueshima considered. "But he knows better than to release rumors about teachers, so any information he gathers he keeps to himself," he explained calmly. **__**"I hope you don't mind, but I just need to get my things in the faculty room," he informed the mangaka before subconsciously taking Konomi's hand and guided him to said room with a content smile on his face.**_

_**Smiling to himself, Konomi followed without a complaint.**_

"So after that they started going out?" Yanagi asked in wonder.

Nakagauchi nodded. "I never was able to run that article. It would have been one hell of a scoop, I tell you," he told the group before nomming on a defenseless smore.

"And after that they just went on and on?" Kimeru asked.

"Nope," Nakagauchi answered as he pulled out a few beer bottles and passed it around. "Something happened about...five months after they started going out?" he asked Moriyama.

Moriyama nodded. "A month after graduation, Ueshima retired from Mitsukaru," he explained simply, much to gasps from the crowd.

"Ueshima-sensei retired?" Kaji exclaimed. "That sucks! Definitely sucks!"

Ono Kento, Rikkai's Yanagi actor nodded. "It was truly a shame that such a legend retired from teaching," he pointed out. "Just before my batch's graduating year, too."

"Konomi-sensei returned by the start of the following school year to do more sketches, but to his dismay, attended a now Ueshima-sensei-less Mitsukaru High," Moriyama supplied with a sigh.

"They never exchanged numbers or something?" Nakayama inquired.

"Konomi-sensei didn't own a phone yet... as much as Ueshima-sensei insisted that he get one for them to get in contact," Moriyama answered.

"So what happened after?" Kimeru asked as he stroked Ryouma's hair, the younger of which had fallen asleep on his lap. "Surely there was a time that they came together since now they're…"

Nakagauchi smirked. "This part of the story...is for Takigawa Eiji to tell," he cut off, causing all eyes to turn towards the first Tezuka actor.

"Eiji-nii? You knew about it too?" Shirota realized. "But you didn't raise your hand earlier!"

Takigawa shrugged. "Well I'm surprised that you don't remember that time either, Shirotan," he argued.

"Eh? I should?" he asked.

"...Wait... was this..." Naoya suddenly piped up, causing Takigawa to smile, nodding in affirmation.

"It was that very same time, Naoya-kun," he supplied before taking the helm for the next part of the story.

"Ah, so it was during _that_ time," Sota identified.

"But Ueshima-sensei wasn't there at the time," Naoya pointed out.

"Not yet. But Konomi-sensei was," Takigawa corrected.

_**Takigawa, who was in college at this time, was spending the weekend at the public basketball courts with Shirota some of his schoolmates from Mitsukaru for a friendly 2-on-2 match: him and Shirota against Naoya and Sota.**_

_**"Over here!" Shirota called out, waving a hand out as Sota was marking him. Takigawa had the ball and was trying to shake off Naoya.**_

-break-

_**During this basketball game, a familiar mangaka was situated not too far away under the shade of a tree.**_

_**"Damn it!" Konomi said in annoyance as he angrily crumpled a page of his notebook and threw it towards the nearby wastebasket. **__**"Even with muses I can't draw a damn thing!" he said in frustration before growling. Standing up he let out a frustrated yell before stomping away, not noticing a piece of paper flutter out of his portfolio.**_

-break-

_**The group took a little water break when Takigawa glanced over to the direction of the mangaka just as he stomped off, spotting a piece of paper get left behind. "I'll be right back you guys," he told the three before jogging over to the place under the tree and picked up the fallen sketch.**_

_**Looking it over, Takigawa blinked. "Hey... This looks eerily like..."**_

_**"Ueshima-sensei," Sota and Naoya pointed out from behind Takigawa, glancing down at the sketch as well.**_

_**"It's pretty good, too," Shirota added, peeking from up front. "I wonder who drew it?"**_

_**"There was someone here earlier before we even got here," Takigawa explained.**_

_**"So he's the probably the one who drew this," Sota concluded.**_

_**"But how are you going to return this to him?" Naoya asked.**_

_**Takigawa thought about it for a moment before he moved back to where their things were, followed closely by the rest. Rummaging through his bag, he pulled out his phone. "Before that, I think I want to give Ueshima-sensei a call first."**_

-break-

_**Sitting by a bench not far from the court, Konomi started to mope as he consoled himself with a Popsicle. **__**"Tennis no Ohjisama was supposed to be out last year but..." he thought in dismay. "Ever since I started not seeing Ueshima-sensei..." he thought before opening his portfolio to stare at his Nanjiro Echizen sketch for the nth time that day. He paused when he noticed it wasn't there. "Nanjiro?" he said before frantically looking around for it, "No! Nonononono!" he said before feeling dread.**__'That was...that was my last piece of evidence that I actually met him!'_

-break-

_**Ueshima jogged to the basketball court minutes after receiving Takigawa's call.**_

_**"I'm sorry for asking you out like this, sensei," Takigawa apologized. Naoya and Sota had to leave to attend to other things while Shirota went to get himself some ice cream.**_

_**"No, it's alright. I've been trying to get in touch with Takeru for a while now, so..." Ueshima trailed off when he spotted the sketch. "...Is that it?"**_

_**Takigawa nodded and handed the sketch to the teacher who examined it, recognizing it immediately. "It's a rather accurate sketch of you, sensei," he praised.**_

_**Ueshima nodded his agreement. "Too accurate if you ask me," he said with a chuckle. "He should be coming back here when he realizes it's missing..." he thought.**_

_**Takigawa nodded. "Then he's probably not too f-"**_

_**"Takigawa-kun! I found him!" Shirota exclaimed, running up to the two with a popsicle in hand.**_

_**"Found who, Shirotan?" Takigawa pressed.**_

_**"That mangaka~" Shirota answered happily.**_

_**Ueshima took Shirota by the arms and shook him. "Where is he now?" he demanded.**_

_**"In a bench not far from here," Shirota replied, pointing in the direction he came from.**_

_**"Yosh. Takigawa, let's go!" Ueshima instructed before Takigawa followed after him.**_

_**Shirota, lost for a moment, frowned and followed. "Hey, wait for me!"**_

_**Feeling absolutely deflated, Konomi slumped down on the bench, "Gone...gone just like that..." he groaned. **__**"At least now I know how he disappears from the tennis world...sudden...without a trace...leaving all his adoring fans...cold and lonesome," he said before sniffling and pulling out a notebook. "I have to write this down though I doubt I'll forget it."**_

_**"But Nanjiro had his own reasons for leaving suddenly," Ueshima pointed out to him, holding out Konomi's Nanjiro sketch back to him. **__**"This sketch of him, I mean," he added with a small smile. "He wanted us to get back together, so it seems."**_

_**Startled, Konomi looked up. "U-Ueshima-sensei..." he said slowly before feeling himself tear up. **__**"Yukio!" he exclaimed before practically launching himself towards the former teacher and held him close while sniffling like an idiot.**_

"And this is the picture that they didn't notice, puri~" Nakagauchi said as he pulled a picture out from his wallet. "One of my masterpieces~" he said proudly as the picture was passed around.

"There was a picture?" a voice said from behind them all. "And you have beer?"

Kimeru paled. "I know that voice..." he said before looking over his shoulder to see the flustered mangaka that they were all talking about.

"So I was right when I thought I heard a click that time..." Ueshima muttered, rubbing the back of his neck as he walked up next to the mangaka.

"What happened to taking him home. Ueshima-sensei?" Takigawa asked with a chuckle.

"We remembered that you were all camping out tonight and he... talked me into coming back to see if there was beer," Ueshima explained. "Lo and behold, we hear the story of our relationship." Glancing around, he lowered his gaze to Kimeru who was seated in front of them before he blinked. "...Is that who I think it is?" he asked, pointing at the sleeping Baba Ryouma.

Daisuke nodded. "The very same Baba Ryouma, Ueshima-sensei~" he confirmed.

"He went out with Hashimoto before, puri~" Nakagauchi supplied. "And he was a hobo until midway into the story," he added with a grin.

Konomi chuckled and looked around before spotting Harukawa, "Ah you...come over here and I'll give you your pay," he told him.

"About time," Harukawa said as he walked over.

Smirking, Konomi took him by the shoulders and made him face Ueshima. "I present to you, Shiraishi Kuranosuke," he told him with a flourish.

"Who's Shiraishi?" Aiba asked with a frown.

"The captain of the school that Seigaku will face in the nationals semi-finals that will finally defeat Fuji Syusuke in singles...Shitenhouji of Osaka."

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH?"

Ueshima glanced past Harukawa to Konomi. "Let me guess. Another of your muses?" he asked slyly.

Harukawa smiled gallantly. "Ecstasy~" he chimed before frowning and turned to Konomi. "Hey wait a minute! How is this pay?" he asked incredulously.

Konomi grinned. "Yeah...the moment he went 'ecstasy' he nailed his own coffin shut," he said.

Kimeru chuckled and grinned at Harukawa. "Your pay? You're going to become more famous than your wildest dreams," he told him.

"And have women swoon and faint at your feet," Furukawa added.

"Looks like I'm recruiting early this time around," Ueshima stated pointedly. "Harukawa Kyosuke... and Baba Ryouma," he muttered.

"I just noticed something," Shirota piped up, glancing over to Ueshima. "So does that mean that this cast was built-"

"Mostly on Takeru's muses, yes," he confirmed, knowing what the boy was curious about. "I invite them to audition for any character they like, and 80% of the time it's right on the mark," Ueshima continued, glancing to Takigawa. "There were a few exceptions though."

Takigawa frowned. "I was just a little bit more inclined towards Inui... at the start," he defended weakly.

"But yes, a lot of them end up on the Tenimyu stage~" Ueshima finished. "Like Sakurada, Kotani, Kanesaki, Kamakari, Kaji, Ookawa..." he listed down in the order that Moriyama previously said.

"So that pair from earlier...!" Daisuke realized.

"Ah, you must mean Toyoda Yuya and Hamao Kyousuke," Ueshima chirped. "They're already listed for 4th cast Oishi and Kikumaru."

"And Ryouma?" Takigawa asked.

"5th cast Tezuka if he's up for it," Ueshima answered smoothly.

"Myu's were really Yukio's idea," Konomi told them. "He said it would be a waste of talent if we don't do anything about it. So he proposed the myu, I approved it and sent it to the higher ups."

Kimeru blinked. "Just how many muses did you have?" he asked the mangaka.

"A lot," Konomi answered with a wink before a bottle of beer was passed to him. "Yosh~" he said in approval.

"That way people could act their usual selves and just have to memorize lines and dance steps~" Ueshima added with a nod before snatching a bottle himself. "Kampai~"

The rest looked at one another and eventually laughed it off, deciding to enjoy the rest of the night in the company of friends and ended up drinking the night away.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED. :D

We look forward to your reviews and possible suggestions. :)


	25. Adoptions

**Title:** Anything for You  
**Author/Artist:** snooperj & Bloodysamurai  
**Series/Pairing(s):** TeniMyu; Mainly Takigawa Eiji x Kimeru, Shirota Yuu x Aiba Hiroki & Watanabe Daisuke x Furukawa Yuuta  
**Notes:** Here is the 25th chapter entitled** Adoptions**. Upon returning from the campout with the mass of fellow Tenimyu actors, we zoom in our focus to the newly discovered Sensei Pair of director Ueshima and mangaka Konomi as they run into some nostalgic kids. We also direct our attention to the Takigawas with their newly adopted son Ryouma. This chapter details the events of May 10, 2007.

**ALSO! None of the authors of this roleplay/fanfic own TeniMyu or the actors, but are mere fangirls of the musical series and corresponding actors we write about. Everything that progresses in the story is the creation of our witty imaginations.

* * *

_**~Routines~  
**_+++May 10, 2007+++

Kimeru sleepily opened his eyes, blinking at the sunlight streaming through the mouth of the tent. _'Oh yeah...we all camped out...'_ he thought before yawning and slowly sat up. Looking around, he spotted two other figures in the tent, one which was his husband and the other was his son as of last night. Smiling to himself he slowly went out and was greeted by the sight of Furukawa and Nakagauchi making breakfast.

"Good morning," Nakagauchi greeted as he added an egg in a pan.

"He's surprisingly decent in the morning," Furukawa said with a smile as he handed Kimeru some water which the singer greedily downed.

A little shuffling erupted from the tent Kimeru had emerged from as the two figures inside seemed to jostle about. Finally, Ryouma crawled out and made an attempt to run off, quickly followed by Takigawa who seized him.

"Let me gooooo!" Ryouma complained.

"Relax, Ryouma! It's just us!" Takigawa reminded him.

Ryouma calmed down for a while and snapped his eyes open, panting as he looked around. Seeing that he was being held back by Takigawa caused him to blush at his earlier tantrum (if you called it that). "G-Gomen..." he muttered out in apology.

"Looks like my family is up~" Kimeru said with a grin before walking over to them, "Good morning~" he greeted as he kissed Takigawa on the cheek and took Ryouma's wrist from him. "Let's all have breakfast together!"

Nakagauchi blinked as he watched them before chuckling and placing a few of the cooked eggs on a plate. "This is the first time I saw him wake up after a race without a hangover, puri~" he commented.

Furukawa nodded. "It's a miracle if you consider the amount he drank last night."

"That's probably because Takigawa was here," Daisuke considered, emerging from his and Furukawa's tent, approaching his fiancé, pecking him on the cheek. "Not to mention the newest addition to their family."

Takigawa smiled and followed his husband and son over to breakfast. "Ah, I should probably go and wake up Shirotan and Aibacchi," he announced, moving off to locate their tent. "Shirotaaaaan," he called out once he found it.

A sleepy groan emanated from inside.

"One more daaaaaay," Aiba drawled out as he snuggled deeper inside the sleeping bag.

Kimeru chuckled. "There's always the river, Eiji," he said slyly, loud enough for the inhabitants of the tent to hear.

"We're up! We're up!" Aiba said as he practically sat up.

Furukawa grinned. "Oh yes...I forgot that he doesn't know how to swim yet, meaning that a river is a very good threat~"

"No giving up Hiropiyooooo!" Shirota stated in a slur.

Takigawa rolled his eyes before zipping their tent open and intruding. "Time to get up!" he announced before grabbing Shirota like a sack of potatoes and carried him over his shoulders.

"Lemme go! Lemme gooooooo!" Shirota yelled in a sleepy fit.

"Wake up already else I'll really toss you into the river, Shirotan," Takigawa threatened.

"But you can't when my leg is still in a cast!" Shirota rebutted.

"Shirotan might sink like a rock, puri~" Nakagauchi said before opening a new pack of eggs and adding some in the pan.

"Hmm... That's true..." Takigawa admitted before shaking Shirota awake instead before placing him down beside Kimeru. 'There we go~"

Shirota, head swaying back and forth slightly due to the acquired dizziness, ended up leaning his head on Daisuke's shoulder, who was conveniently sitting on his other side.

Aiba peeked out of the tent and looked around before spotting Ryouma. "You know...that guy suddenly looks very familiar now that I see him in the daylight," he said before squinting. "Ryouma-kun, weren't you always seated at the back by the door?" he asked.

Ryouma jerked at this recollection from Aiba, slowly turning to him before nodding. "T-That's right... I was... actually Shirotan's other seatmate at the time..." he explained sheepishly, picking at the eggs handed to him.

"You had glasses back then," Aiba said before crawling out of the tent and walking over to the growing group of breakfast-eaters.

Nakagauchi, having been relieved of the cooking by Kenken, sat beside Ryouma. "I am a bit curious, puri," he told him as he munched on a piece of bread. "Why didn't you ask help from your former classmates when you ran away?" he asked.

"Masa, your school paper days are over, so stop digging up information again," Toru reprimanded with a sigh.

Fidgeting, Ryouma avoided everyone's gaze. "I... didn't want to be an inconvenience to anybody..." he replied pathetically.

"You wouldn't be an inconvenience with your situation, you know," Shirota answered, feeling much more awake than a few moments ago.

Kimeru nodded in agreement. "But if you're taking drugs and had been gambling and piling up a debt...THAT's the time you become an inconvenience," he said with a grin before patting Ryouma on the head. "But we all know you're not like that," he added in assurance.

***SPLASH***

Everyone fell silent when they heard the sound and slowly looked at the river. "Gah! How did I end up in the river?" came the voice of Konomi.

Ueshima plowed out of the tent he shared with Konomi and glanced around. "Where-" pausing when he heard the splash and stifled a laugh.

By the riverbed, Kazuki and Washimi Ryou, Hyoutei's Kabaji actor, were there.

"Good work, Kabaji. He was particularly hard to wake up," Kazuki stated in pure Atobe fashion.

"Usu," Washimi answered, but with a snide grin.

Ueshima trudged up to the river to help his lover up and out of the river. "This is why I absolutely forbid you from drinking too much beer, Takeru," he scolded as Yagami and Kiryama Renn came to hand Konomi a few blankets to get warm.

"I expected nothing less from my Hyoutei muses," Konomi muttered as joined the group with a rather large grin which turned into a stunned look when he saw Kenken cooking. "What the?"

Kenken looked away. "...what?" he snapped as he blushed a bit.

"Kenken, I have more eggs here!" came Koji's voice, jogging up to his partner.

Ueshima guided Konomi to a place to sit down. "No time to get stunned by your muses, Takeru. Breakfast," he told him, shoving a plate of food into his hands.

-break-

After everyone had breakfast, the group decided to laze around a bit longer. Kimeru in particular was watching Ryouma pull out a duffel bag of things that were hidden behind the bush where Daisuke had originally apprehended him. "Maybe we should pass by Shibuya before heading home," he whispered to Takigawa.

"As long as I drive," Takigawa whispered back over to his husband.

"Of course, Tou-san," Kimeru said with a grin before patting Takigawa on the shoulder before turning his gaze back to Ryouma.

Shirota noticed this and limped over to Ryouma as fast as he could manage. "How did you survive with just that much?" he asked incredulously, almost in sympathy.

Aiba, who was just beside Shirota before he limped off, approached Ryouma as well. "Considering the fact that we've been out of university for some time...you must have been going around like this for...a very long time."

"Yes, well..." Ryouma pursed his lips, unsure how to respond as he dismissively scratched the back of his neck, albeit nervously. "I... I got by somehow..." he replied.

"You should have come looking for us! We could have helped you out!" Shirota complained.

"B-But I didn't really... I didn't know where... Or... I..." Ryouma stuttered to try to find the words.

Aiba patted him on the shoulder consolingly, "Well, at least now you have all of us to help you out!" he told him. "And you've got yourself a very caring set of parents too!"

_'Oh, right... Parents...'_ Ryouma thought, glancing over to the Takigawas before shutting his eyes in embarrassment.

"Come on Ree~" Takigawa said good-naturedly, the nickname just coming to mind as he scooped him over his shoulders again. "To Shibuya we go!"

Ryouma blushed intensely at this. "R-R-R-R-R-R-Ree?"

"See you back at home!" Aiba said with a wave of his hand.

"We're going back home in a while as well. All the tents are packed away," Furukawa said with a smile as he approached the two while waving at the Takigawas who went ahead.

"Well, we _are_ riding home together," Shirota supplied.

"Can I drive this time Yun?" Daisuke asked hopefully as he lugged up some few tents that they had lent.

"Sure you can~" Furukawa said with a smile.

"Give the tents to us so you have more space, puri~" Nakagauchi said with a grin. "We live near you guys anyway so we can just drop them off at your house."

"You do?" Shirota asked incredulously as Daisuke handed him the tents.

"A few blocks away, yes," Toru said, helping Nakagauchi with the tents and shipping them to their car.

"That reminds me...we haven't really gone around the subdivision since we moved there," Aiba said thoughtfully.

"You'd be surprised just how many familiar faces are there if you take the time to jog around, ne Daisuke?" Furukawa said with a smile as he helped Shirota walk over the rocky parts of the camp area toward the car.

"Familiar faces?" Shirota repeated.

Daisuke shrugged as he unlocked the car once they reached it. "Apparently the subdivision our houses are in... is the same one as the rest of these guys," he explained pointedly.

"You almost sound repulsed by the idea, Daisuke," Ueshima chided playfully.

"I do not!" Daisuke defended. "Just because you two live in a grand mansion..." he thought glumly to himself.

"No reason for you to be jealous. It's all because of him," Ueshima explained, gesturing a thumb at Konomi.

"You can come over and spend a few nights there, you know," Konomi offered as he adjusted his hold on his bag. "After all...that 'grand mansion' would not be there if not for you guys," he said with a chuckle.

"Yosh! Then I want to go there!" Shirota stated in excitement before plummeting back into reality. "...Once Hiropiyo and I get out of our casts!" he stated in determination and a firm nod.

"For Kimeru's birthday then," Ueshima suggested. "Takigawa-kun had asked us if we could hold his birthday party there," the director explained.

The mangaka beamed. "You can even bring your hamsters-"

"Guinea pigs," Furukawa quickly corrected.

"Guinea pigs…when you go there," Konomi finished. "For now let's all go home and go back to reality," he said gloomily.

"Translation: He doesn't want to go back inking those pages of Tezuka again," Ueshima stated with a shrug.

"Tezuka?" Shirota asked excitedly.

"So you're doing the semi-finals of the national tournament already, right Konomi-sensei?" Daisuke asked.

"Yes, Tezuka...he seems to be giving me the most headaches among all of the characters," Konomi told him with a sigh before looking at Daisuke.

"And yes, I'm working on the semi-finals," he said with a nod, "I'm still looking for a few more muses for Shitenhouji, though," he admitted.

"If Mitsukaru High was a goldmine before then looking for them should probably give you an idea," Kentarou suggested as he and Yagami walked up to them.

"I would suggest you try scouting around Ruito's batch," Takumi suggested. "Or Sakurada's for that matter."

"Since Konomi-sensei stopped going to Mitsukaru at Ueshima-sensei's resignation he wouldn't have had the opportunity to see them all," Shirota realized.

"I guess that's true," Konomi said truthfully.

Sakurada thought for a while before frowning. "Count me out of the helping squad. I'm still trying to hunt down one of my batchmates that went missing," he told them.

"Who would that be?" Aiba asked.

"Kido Yuuya," the Echizen muse answered. "Do you remember him, Ueshima-sensei? You did handle our class once..."

Ueshima, ever the sharp memory, thought back for a long moment. "I do remember substituting for a first year class during my last year teaching there..." he started off. "Was he the hyper one?" he ventured.

"Yes. The one always calling me 'Koshimae' for one reason or another," Sakurada said with a nod.

"Did you just say 'Koshimae'?'" Konomi asked. "That' what...Tooyama Kintaro calls Echizen," he said before looking at Ueshima with a bright smile.

"Who's Tooyama Kintaro?" Daisuke asked.

"Someone from Shitenhouji?" Shirota guessed.

"He's the hyper active one that's going to be another of Echizen's rivals," Konomi said with a nod to himself. "He's fun to conceptualize but I still need a muse."

"Then we should help Sakurada find him!" Shirota cheered, pumping a fist into the air before falling back into the backseat of the car.

"That'd be great," Sakurada admitted. "Even with Keisuke's family's help there hasn't been much progress yet," he said with a sigh.

"We're trying the best we can!" Minami defended with a frown.

"We can start conceptualizing when we all get home. Looking for a missing person means a rather big area to cover," Furukawa told them.

"That and Yukio and I still need to go grocery shopping," Konomi said.

"That was totally random, Konomi-sensei," Furukawa pointed out.

"It's the effect of the beer is all," Ueshima explained, pulling Konomi by the ear to their car.

"Then... Maybe we can meet up at your place after dropping off our things at our own places?" Minami suggested over to Daisuke and Furukawa.

Daisuke nodded. "Go right ahead. We can discuss out in the garden," he informed the third Tezuka actor.

"See you in a while, then," Furukawa said with a wave as they all separated ways for the meantime.

-break-

At Shibuya, the Takigawa's had just managed to get a parking space nearby. "While I don't mind the style that Yun had imposed on you, let's see if you can come up with a style of your own while looking around," Kimeru said as he got out of the car. "All else fails we can always go one of my stores," he offered.

"A style of... my own?" Ryouma repeated as he blinked dumbly at the hoard of stores before him.

"In short, pull together an outfit of your own," Takigawa supplied for him. "Don't worry about the price or quantity. We've got it covered."

Swallowing a lump in his throat, Ryouma nodded slowly before taking a cautious step into the nearest store.

"Don't be intimidated-" Kimeru was cut off when he saw a familiar streamer down the street. "Eiji...I spot a sale," he said before clutching onto his husbands's arm. "Watch Ree would you?" he said before hastily walking towards the store with the sale.

Takigawa was about to protest but Kimeru already zoomed off before shaking his head. _'Looks like I'll have to conduct another search when Ree's done shopping...'_ he thought to himself with an inward sigh before following Ree into the shop to find him looking apprehensively at the clothes on the rack.

-break-

Kimeru grinned as he looked around the shop which was a furniture shop. "Why in the world is there a furniture shop in Shibuya?" he wondered as he looked around. "Well...I _do_ need to look for stuff for Ree's room~" he said happily. "And I have my credit card."

-break-

Deciding to help him along with his shopping, Takigawa approached his son and began pulling a few random clothes from the rack and pushed his son to the dressing room. "Here, mix-match them and give me ones that you like," he told him.

Ryouma blinked repeatedly before nodding. "O-Okay..." he said feebly before disappearing into a dressing room with a near pile of clothes.

-break-

After making some final purchases, Kimeru nodded to himself and strolled out of the store. "Funny...this is the first time that I exited a store in Shibuya without any shopping bags," he said in amusement before heading back to the shop where he left the other two. Spotting Eiji by the door of the dressing rooms, he approached him. "He's already fitting them? That was fast," he commented.

"He was taking so long choosing that I grabbed a pile and shoved them into his arms," Takigawa explained with a chuckle.

"Uhmmmmmm," Ryouma peeked out of the dressing room before coming out in a particular combination of a flashy white polo shirt and slick black jeans. "I was wondering if this looked alright…"

"..Light colors will look absolutely good on you," Kimeru complimented as he nodded to himself. "It's a good thing I chose light shades for your wallpaper," he said with a happy grin.

"W-Wallpaper?" Ryouma asked just as he was about to head back into the dressing room and wheeled around again.

"You'll be getting your own room, and Kime's decorating it," Takigawa offered as a response, causing Ryouma to blush again and busy himself by moving back into the dressing room to try on more outfits.

Kimeru smirked and nodded to himself, "He'll get used to this," he said with a chuckle.

-break-

Meanwhile at the other side of town, Konomi and Ueshima were at the grocery and were nearly done. "All that's left is breakfast cereal," Konomi said as he consulted their list, "Let's not get Frosties this time. It always mysteriously disappears."

Ueshima snorted when he heard this. "Yes, don't they always?" he chided as he pushed the cart along before spotting the cereal aisle. "Ah, here we are. If it's not Frosties, then which would you prefer Takeru?" he asked.

"Let's try those star shaped ones," Konomi said as he took two boxes of Honey Stars and put it in the cart. "Yosh we're done~" he said with a nod before walking towards the cashier to pay for their purchases. After a while they headed out to the parking lot with Konomi pushing the cart filled with grocery bags. "Now all we have to do is go home and go to that meeting with Yuuta about-" the mangaka was cut off when they felt someone bump them both from behind.

"S-Sorry about that," a child about Sakurada Doori's age said before running past them.

Ueshima stopped when the boy ran off, feeling his back pocket to find the lack of his wallet. "...My wallet's gone," he announced, glancing off in the direction the boy had gone.

Konomi blinked before handing the cart to Ueshima. "I'm on it!" he said before giving chase, reasoning to himself that since he was the younger, he should take it upon himself to take on the more tiring roles like chasing purse -or in this case wallet- snatchers. "Gotcha!" he called out as he managed to grab the boy by the back collar of his shirt. "You're coming with me, young man," he said sternly as he carried the boy on his shoulder.

"Hanase!" the boy cried out as he struggled. "I'll give back the wallet! Let me go!" he pleaded.

"Nope. Sorry," Konomi said as he walked back to Ueshima and presented the boy to him.

As soon as Konomi put the boy down, Ueshima's memory was jarred, pointing at him. "Kido... Kido Yuuya?" he identified, narrowing his eyes slightly in recognition.

"E-eh?" Yuuya said upon hearing his name and looked up at the man in front of him. "B-but who..." he trailed off before his eyes widened in recognition. Jumping up a bit, he pointed at Ueshima and yelled, "AAAH! THE LEGENDARY UESHIMA-SENSEI SAMA OF MITSUKARU!"

Ueshima chuckled. "We could do without the titles here, Yuuya. That was years ago," he chided, waving a hand and picking him up by the back of his collar and half-dragged him off towards their car. Unlocking it, he opened the back door and tossed him inside with the groceries. "In you go~"

After realizing that he has been tossed in a car with white seat covers, Yuuya immediately got to the floor to avoid dirtying it. "S-sensei! Let me out!" he told the teacher. "I'm sorry for stealing your wallet! Please don't turn me in!" he pleaded.

Konomi grinned as he got to the front seat and started the car as soon as Ueshima was inside. "Who says we're turning you in, Kido-kun~?" he asked as he backed away from the parking. "And don't bother trying to get out. The doors at the back have child locks that I haven't bothered switching," he added as he noticed Yuuya trying to open the doors.

"Oh, and don't bother getting conscious of dirtying the seat covers. I was planning to change them anyway," Ueshima explained as he fastened his seat belt. "Help yourself to some snacks though~"

"...I can...have some?" Yuuya asked hesitantly.

Konomi nodded, "Of course you can. Go ahead and get one," he encouraged.

Slowly getting back up on the seat, Yuuya rummaged through the grocery bags and pulled out some chips. "...Domo..." he answered quietly before opening it and eating the contents.

"Don't worry. When we get home you can eat again."

"H-Home?" Yuuya asked.

"We'll explain everything when we get there," Ueshima clarified for the boy before taking out his phone and calling Watanabe Daisuke. Once the line on the other side picked up, the director leaned back. "Hello, Daisuke. I need a favor."

_"What would that be, sensei?"_

"I need certain _papers_ delivered to our house today. We found Kido-kun and are in the process of bringing him home."

_"Already?" _Daisuke exclaimed through the line. _"That was quick..."_

"Yes well, he bumped into us, so we were lucky."

"Call Sakurada-kun too," Konomi told Ueshima, "I'm sure he wants to visit Kido-kun."

Yuuya looked up and blinked. "Sakurada?" he asked. "Sakurada Doori?"

Konomi nodded. "He's been searching for you for quite some time now. You're the only one not accounted for in your batch, after all."

"S-Sou…"

After discretely clarifying exactly what papers to send over, Ueshima ended the call with Daisuke before searching through his contact list for Sakurada's name and pressed Send.

_"Ueshima-sensei?"_

"Sakurada-kun. We found Kido-kun."

_"Yuuya? Uso! Hontou?"_ Sakurada asked him incredulously.

"Yes. We're bringing him to the house now. So if you'd like you can come visit him," Ueshima suggested.

_"Alright, I understand! Kei and I will come and visit as soon as I finish informing the rest of my batch. Arigatou, Ueshima-sensei!"_ he said in gratitude before hanging up.

"We're here~" Konomi said as he entered the gates of their house and parked the car by the garage. Getting off, he left the maids to get the groceries before plucking Yuuya from the backseat and taking his wrist to lead him inside.

"This...this...you live here?" Yuuya exclaimed.

"Mm. And so will you."

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEH?"

"First things first," Ueshima began with a smirk as they walked into the house. "Giving Yuuya a bath~" he announced before heading off to prepare the bathroom.

"Bath?" Yuuya asked, "But…But I don't have any spare clothes," he said with a pout.

"Don't worry, I'm sure we have something that would fit you in the meantime," Konomi assured him before leading him to the bathroom. "I'll also go shopping later to get you some clothes." _'Or I can just ask Daisuke and Yuuta to do it since they'll be bringing those papers,'_ he finished in his mind.

"Now then, bath time!" Ueshima called, peeking out from the bathroom with a wide smile and pulled Yuuya inside.

Getting dizzy from being dragged from one part of the house to another, Yuuya obediently followed Ueshima without as much as a complain. Looking around at the spacious bathroom, a smile started to tug at the corners of the boy's mouth.

"Come on, into the tub you go," Ueshima called, pulling Yuuya to the lukewarm water-filled tub.

Yuuya blinked. "E-Eh?" he asked. "Sensei I can take a bath by myself!" the younger argued as he backed away.

"No, let me!" Ueshima complained with a pout as he advanced on Yuuya.

-break-

Meanwhile, at the Watanabe residence, Daisuke was scrambling around the room to locate the adoption papers Ueshima had asked for. "Gah, I can't find it!" he whined.

Furukawa smiled and walked up to his husband and handed him a folder. "You left these in the fridge yesterday," he said in amusement.

Daisuke, meanwhile, apprehensively took the cold folder. "In... the fridge...?" he repeated incredulously, blushing in embarrassment. "Domo..."

-break-

A yelp, a splash and a string of curses later, Konomi watched in amusement as Ueshima walked away with a more manageable Yuuya over his shoulder. "Spare clothes are on the bed," he told Ueshima with a wave of his hand.

"Hai~ Then we head off to Shibuya for more clothes!" Ueshima cheered as he helped Yuuya get dressed. "I don't want Yuuya to have to keep wearing an extra set of my clothes until the end of the week."

Konomi nodded. "I'll tell Yuuta and Daisuke to get some clothes before they head here then, just so Yuuya has something to move around in," he told them as he eyed Yuuya.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Yuuya asked.

"Oh it's nothing~" the mangaka answered before hearing a maid call his attention. "Oh look Sakurada-kun and Minami-kun are here~"

Sakurada dashed past the man and looked into the room. "Yuuya!"

Yuya's eyes brightened as a smile appeared in his face. "Aaaaaah! Koshimaeeeeee!" he exclaimed.

Konomi blinked before excusing himself and hurriedly went to the drawing room.

"Where is Konomi-sensei going?" Minami asked as he watched the mangaka zoom off.

Ueshima calmly stepped back to let Sakurada past to run and hug Yuuya as he looked over to the current Tezuka actor. "Another attack of inspiration."

"I missed you!" Yuuya said with a wide smile. "I'm sorry I lost touch after graduation. Things just took a downhill turn for me then!" he explained to his best friend.

Ueshima turned to Yuuya with a frown. "I was going to save it for asking you later on but now that you've brought it up what _did_ happen to you?" he asked.

"Even my men were finding it difficult to locate you..." Minami added.

Yuuya pulled away from Sakurada and looked at Minami, regarding him for a while before looking away. "It's not that your men haven't found me," he told him. "It's that they don't want you to know that they've been having me under radar ever since!" he snapped before glaring at the third cast Tezuka. "It was the Minami's fault that I've been on the streets for the longest time!"

Minami's eyes widened, what Yuuya said making him speechless as he shifted his gaze downwards.

"Now now, let's not point fingers and dwell on the past," Ueshima said, deciding to step in. "What's past is past and what's important is that Yuuya is now safe and off the streets and in the loving care of his new parents...to-be," he finished with a grin.

Yuuya pouted and 'hn'd just before Sakurada pulled him into a comforting hug. Sniffling a bit, he looked away.

Sakurada glanced at his boyfriend for a while and sighed. "Well, I guess this is one thing we need to clear up, Kei," he told him.

Minami nodded firmly. "I'll make sure to take care of it personally," he promised.

-break-

Meanwhile, back at the Watanabe household, Daisuke was looking around for the car keys. "Yuuuun! The car keys are missing!" he cried out frantically.

Furukawa sighed as he looked at the key holder on the wall and saw piece of bread pierced on the hook. Calmly walking to the kitchen after dislodging the bread from the holder, he knowingly opened the fridge and pulled out the car keys from inside. "It's in the fridge," he called out to Daisuke before walking towards him and handing it to him.

Daisuke peeked out from the laundry room and dashed up to his fiancé. "Again? I think I'm still sleepy..." he finally concluded, shaking his head and took said keys. "Let's go to the Takigawas to give them these papers!" he said.

"Um Daisuke...I think you meant Ueshima-sensei," Furukawa reminded him. "He was the one that needs the papers, remember?"

Glancing down at the papers where he had written Ueshima's name, Daisuke gloomed at his absent-mindedness. "Oh yeah... Takigawa's a lawyer too... so he should have these kinds of paper on hand... Right... Ueshima-sensei..." he corrected himself before turning to Furukawa with a smile. "Shall we get going?"

"Alright, but let's keep in the slow lane, shall we?" Furukawa said in worry as he led Daisuke out of the house. "And before I forget, let's stop by the mall for a bit. I have a feeling we need to get a set of clothes."

Daisuke nodded. "Clothes? Okay..." he replied as he unknowingly dropped the keys on the driveway and moved up to the car. "I'm driving!" he announced.

Furukawa smiled nervously as he discreetly picked up the keys from the ground.

Watching Daisuke enter the back seat, the Fuji actor went to the driver's side and slowly took the car out of the driveway. "At ease, Daisuke," he said before heading off to the mall.

"Yun, why is the car moving? I can't find the steering wheel around here!" Daisuke complained before peeking where Furukawa was seated, ultimately realizing where he was actually seated. "...Oh." Yawning, Daisuke stretched his arms overhead. "I think I'll... take a nap..." he said before plopping down on the seat for a short rest. In a few moments, he had already begun snoring.

Chuckling to himself, Furukawa chose the longest route to the mall to let his partner sleep. Around 2 hours later, they reached the mall. Finding parking and turning off the engine, the actor looked over his shoulder and sighed. "Out like a light..." he said before thinking for a while. "Daisuke...you need to wake up for a while," he called out in hopes to wake the other man up.

Snoring continuing for another few seconds, it abruptly stopped as Daisuke slowly groaned and fluttered his eyes open. "Yun...?" he drawled out, yawning as he reached up to rub his eyes. "A-re...? I fell asleep in the car..."

"Yes you did. Now stay here while I go make a quick trip inside, alright?" Furukawa requested. "And please, Daisuke, stay awake," he said before heading out.

"Hai hai~" Daisuke reassured his partner as he watched Furukawa head off to the mall, causing him to settle into a few minutes of pure boredom, making him wonder what the heck he could do during that time. "Why didn't I stash a Pacman game in here?" he realized, head hanging in disappointment in himself.

Just outside the car, a small puppy was whimpering and pawing the door. Having been a stray for some time and no one bothering to pick him up, the poor puppy was near death because of the heat and hunger. "Arf...arf" it barked weakly before lying down on the ground, whimpering.

Hearing a strange sound, Daisuke looked around before hearing a weak bark that made him roll down the window and look around. Averting his gaze downwards, he spotted the puppy as his eyes widened in sympathy. "K-Kawaii..." he muttered out, cheeks tinting a slight pink at its frail state. "You poor thing..."

The puppy perked up a bit at hearing a voice. Looking up at Daisuke is got up on its hind legs and pawed the door again before barking cutely.

Slain by its cuteness, Daisuke's breath hitched as he wondered what he could do. With a cautious glance in both directions, he rolled the window down completely and squeezed out of the open window, reaching out for it. "Come here little guy..." he said in a cooing whisper, smiling as he retracted into the backseat, holding to close to him.

Barking gratefully, the puppy affectionately licked Daisuke's cheek as its tail started to wag happily. Nuzzling Daisuke on the neck he barked a bit more before settling in Daisuke's hold.

Daisuke offered the puppy a smile and nuzzled it back, while the back of his mind was somehow dreading Furukawa's return. _'...Yun's going to kill me.'_

A few more minutes later, Furukawa returned with a paper bag and a grocery bag. Once he got inside, he heard a bark. "What the..." he said before turning around and saw Daisuke with the puppy. Blinking for a while, Furukawa offered a smile and the grocery bag. "There's dog food in there. Just feed it a few so that it won't make too much of a mess," he told his husband before turning his attention back to the front and drove out of the parking area.

Surprised at the turn of events, Daisuke mutely took the bag and rummaged for the dog food with one hand, holding the puppy in the other. "Ah, here we go~" he said, pulling it out and opening the box, offering a handful to the little creature.

"So what are you naming him?" Furukawa asked conversationally as they hit the main road and headed back towards their subdivision. "And you better make sure he doesn't get away from you when we get to Konomi-sensei's. Remember, he has cats."

Daisuke looked at the puppy in contemplation, as if hoping that the name would just appear on the dog's face but getting back to reality, he thought. "...I don't know. I never really expected to find a puppy..." he admitted sheepishly.

"Don't worry Daisuke. You still have a lot of thinking time," Furukawa assured him. "You can also ask suggestions from Konomi-sensei," he offered.

Daisuke nodded in agreement. "That's true... I'm banning naming him a drink or food else I might just devour him," he said with a nervous laugh before glancing down at the puppy who whined. Glancing down at him, Daisuke frowned. "What, you don't want me to eat you do you?" he asked in a panic.

"If you ask Konomi-sensei though you might end with a Tenipuri dog, Daisuke" Furukawa commented with a chuckle as they entered the subdivision. "Let's see...Konomi-sensei's is...down this street~"

"This is our first time visiting their house isn't it?" Daisuke clarified, stroking the puppy who took a nap, looking at the houses they passed.

"Yes it is, so be on your best behavior," Furukawa answered teasingly before spotting the house, "There it is," he said before parking the car outside the main gate. "Come on Daidai~"

"Coming!" Daisuke said, gingerly disembarking from the car with the

From inside, Konomi noticed the parked car and smiled widely. "They're here!" he announced to the people down the hall.

"Yosh, we can finally finalize this!" Ueshima cheered, grabbing Yuuya and pulling him in the direction of the door, Minami and Sakurada following.

After being ushered inside, Furukawa smiled and waved at the director. "You must be Yuuya~" he greeted the boy who sheepishly nodded before clinging onto Ueshima.

Konomi raced down the stairs, followed by Kahulamilk which quickly caused the puppy in Daisuke's arms to struggle, wanting to play.

Daisuke just barely managed to keep the puppy from jumping out of his arms before looking around. "Yun did you bring the folder from the car?" he asked suddenly.

"This one?" asked Minami, pointing to the one squeezed under Furukawa's arm.

"Come in come in. I see you have a puppy with you," Ueshima pointed out with a chuckle.

"He found it in the mall parking lot," Furukawa answered as he handed the folder to Ueshima. "Oh before I forget," he added before handing the shopping bag as well, "Outside clothes," he said as an explanation.

Yuuya peeked inside the bag once it was handed to Ueshima, smiling widely when he saw it was about his size.

"I'm confident these will fit you perfectly Yuuya," Ueshima stated with a smile, handing him the bag of clothes, nodding to Furukawa. "Thank you for going through the trouble. "

Daisuke fell forward as the puppy wrestled out of his grip, jumping after Kahluamilk and ensued a chase.

Feeling Kahulamilk climb him like a tree, Konomi patted the cat that was turning into a ball of fluff little by little.

Furukawa bent down and took the puppy in his arms and patted it, causing it to still. "Bad dog! Stay still," he reprimanded firmly.

Yuuya blinked. "Sugoi...it listened," he said in amazement.

"But this is the first time Yun's touched him..." Daisuke clarified with a frown, blinking in awe.

"I'm inclined to think that that dog is trained," Minami supplied.

Ueshima laughed. "That would be mighty interesting if that were the case. Say Daisuke... What's his name anyway?" he ventured.

Daisuke got to his feet and shook his head. "He doesn't have one yet..."

"We were hoping Konomi-sensei could help," Furukawa said thoughtfully as he handed the dog back to Daisuke.

Taking the dog into consideration for a while, the mangaka started to think. "Why not name him Ryouga? Mischievous, feisty and spirited but deep down inside he's quite disciplined and has a protective urge towards his important persons."

"What's this now? Another Echizen?" Daisuke mused, chuckling as he glanced down at the dog. "Do you like 'Ryouga'?" he asked the puppy.

The dog barked once and proceeded to wag his tail.

"We'll take that as a yes," Konomi said with a chuckle. "Why don't we all have some snacks?" he offered the rest before leading the way to the dining room.

"You came back from shopping just now, right sensei?" Daisuke inquired with a tease as he held the newly named Ryouga puppy gingerly in his arms.

Ueshima nodded as he reviewed the adoption papers and smiled. "Looks like all that's left is Takeru and Yuuya's signatures~" he said cheerfully, grabbing a pen from Minami and signing it accordingly.

Sitting down with the rest, cakes were served as well as a full meal for Yuuya who eyed it carefully.

Konomi reached out for the papers once he was done and signed the space allotted for him, "Here you go~" he told Yuuya who looked at them carefully for a while.

"A-are you...sure?" he asked the two.

"I don't think they would ask me to look for those papers if they weren't sure," Daisuke pointed out with a chuckle.

"We'll make sure to take good care of you Yuuya," Ueshima reassured the younger. "It's boring to have this big house with no kids to run around in it, wouldn't you agree Takeru?"

Konomi nodded in agreement. "Yes it is," he told Yuuya, "Believe me...having you around would definitely have a positive effect for everyone in this house."

Yuuya managed a small smile before nodding in understanding. "Okay..." he answered before taking the pen and signing the papers before handing it back to Konomi who immediately handed it back to Daisuke.

"We leave the processing in your capable hands," the mangaka told him.

"You can count on me, sensei!" Daisuke said, gratefully taking the papers and slid them into its folder, handing the pen to Minami.

"Thank you, Daisuke," Konomi said before glancing over to Yuuya who was starting to consume the food in front of him. Chuckling in amusement, he patted the boy on the back when he started choking. "Easy there...no one's going to snatch that from you," he assured him.

"I'll drop by tomorrow to bring some food for Yuuya..." Minami suggested sheepishly.

"Whatever for?" Ueshima inquired curiously.

"...Because it was because of my negligence that he was out longer than he was supposed to?" the third Tezuka actor tried.

"I want cereal!" Yuuya said after recovering.

"Eh?" Konomi asked.

"It's cheap and...well...it's good," the boy said sheepishly.

Furukawa was about to comment when they heard a familiar voice from the kitchen.

"NO FROSTIES?"

"...Wasn't that... Nakagauchi-kun?" Minami inquired.

Ueshima moved off to the kitchen and chuckled. "Disappointed?" he asked the trickster.

"So _he_'s the one stealing Frosties?" Daisuke exclaimed in surprise, frowning.

Nakagauchi got to his knees and brought his hands in the air in despair. "Why? Whyyyyyy?"

Furukawa chuckled. "He's really taking it hard," he observed.

"...Who is he?" Yuuya asked.

"Haven't you ever thought of the fact that we noticed them going astray every time we got back from grocery?" Ueshima teased with a smirk.

"Oh, I'm surprised you don't recognize Nagakauchi-kun," Daisuke explained. "He was the sly presence floating about Mitsukaru as part of the School paper."

"That's a nice way to describe him," Minami pointed out.

"I hear...a blasphemy..." Nakagauchi said as he looked at Yuuya. "Kido-kun! You really don't know me at all?" he asked.

Yuuya inwardly flinched and shook his head as he hid behind Ueshima.

"That's a first," Sakurada said with a chuckle.

"That's not any reason for you to scare him, Nakagauchi-kun," Ueshima reprimanded.

Daisuke thought for a moment before making a conclusion. "Oh, I know. He hasn't heard your catch phrase yet," he suggested.

"Puri?" Nakagauchi tried.

"AAAHH! THE CREEPY STALKER PHOTOGRAPHER PERSON!" Yuuya exclaimed.

"As expected, everyone remembers you by 'puri'," Daisuke teased with a pat on Nakagauchi's shoulder, grinning.

"Wasn't that the reason why people referred to him as Puri-kun at one point?" Minami asked.

"That wasn't my intention!" Nakagauchi defended before extending a hand towards Ueshima. "Frosties!" he said with a pout.

"What's the matter? You seem deprived," Furukawa said with a smile.

The trickster lightly glared at them all before pouting even more. "Everyone suddenly stopped buying Frosties..." he complained.

"That's just because he doesn't bother checking our own pantry for it," Toru piped up from the door, shaking his head. "Do excuse me," he said politely, walking up to the trickster and taking him by the ear. "Come on Masa, it's about time we stopped bothering everyone with your hunt for Frosties."

"Toruuuuuuu! That huuuuuuuuuuurts!" Nakagauchi cried out as he was dragged out of the house, complaining all the way.

"That was entertaining," Furukawa said with a chuckle.

Daisuke chuckled as well at seeing this. "It finally looks like Toru's starting to put his foot down," he observed.

"About time, too," Ueshima added with a nod of approval.

"Anyway, sensei," Furukawa said with a smile, "We'll be heading back home now."

Ryouga barked and wagged his tail as if agreeing.

"I'll take care of these papers tomorrow if that's alright with you sensei," Daisuke urged. holding up the folders with one hand while scooping up Ryouga with the other.

"We understand. The sooner you get them done, the better," Ueshima reminded the future Tenimyu actor.

"We'll be going then," Furukawa said before bowing and heading out with Daisuke.

"Kei and I should get going too," Sakurada said, "Can I visit Yuuya again?" he asked the two men.

"I'll come back with cereal," Minami promised Yuuya.

"Of course, you're welcome to visit him anytime," Ueshima urged the Echizen actor with a nod of approval.

Sakurada nodded before giving Yuuya a noogie, "See you tomorrow!" he told him.

"Yeah, be seeing you!" Yuuya said as he wiggled away from Sakurada's grasp.

"Ah by the way, if you're coming over tomorrow do it after lunch. We might go shopping again in the morning," Konomi reminded.

"Okay~" Sakurada said with a nod before bowing and dragging Minami out of the house.

"Why wait until tomorrow to go shopping? We can do it now~" Ueshima pointed out cheekily as soon as Sakurada and Minami left.

"You know what? You're right!" Konomi said happily before picking Yuuya up over his shoulders. "I'll get him dressed~" he told Ueshima as he took the bag of clothes as well.

"I can get dressed by myseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelf!" Yuuya protested as he was brought to the nearest bedroom.

A few minutes later, both came out with Konomi grinning like mad and Yuuya looking a bit flustered. "Off to the shopping district!" the older cried.

"To Shibuya!" Ueshima cheered, already holding the car keys and the door open.

On the way to Shibuya, Yuuya was curiously looking out the window. "There are a lot of...big houses in this subdivision," he noted in apprehension. "And...not to mention a lot of familiar faces..."

Ueshima chuckled. "Yes, well most of my actors have settled down here. And most of said actors _were_ Mitsukaru graduates, so I wouldn't be surprised if you recognized a few people."

Yuuya nodded in understanding and continued to look outside all the way until they reached Shibuya.

"We're here~" Konomi announced after turning off the engine, "Clothes?" he asked Ueshima in confirmation.

"That's what we're here for," Ueshima confirmed, unbuckling his seatbelt as the little family got out of the car and headed off to go about their shopping.

Yuuya looked around in awe once they got to the main area.

"Get anything you like~" Konomi said with a smile.

"ANYTHING?"

"Yes anything. Don't worry yourself over the price tags," Ueshima chimed in. "If you start doing that I'll have to step in start choosing your necessities for you," he warned with a smirk.

Yuuya smiled nervously and nodded.

"Come on then, let's get things you want before we go to the more stiff stuff like furniture," Konomi offered. "I believe a cell phone should be our first order of business."

"Not to mention a laptop," Ueshima added before gesturing to the electronics section. "I'm sure Doori will end up bothering you to get one in the long run."

"Speaking of Sakurada...I noticed that he's been hanging around Minami-kun more often than usual," Konomi observed as he watched Yuuya ogle at some phones on display.

"I'm surprised you only noticed that _now_ when they've been together for almost a year already," Ueshima teased. "Considering Minami was such a troublemaker when third cast came in..." he added with a sigh and a shake of his head.

"I know that but..." Konomi paused before thinking for a while. "I think I'm going to ask for an investigation."

"Puri?" came a voice from behind them.

"Just in time, Nakagauchi-kun!" Konomi said happily.

"Do you _always_ follow us around Nakagauchi-kun?" Ueshima asked skeptically, looking around and expected to find his usual partner Baba Toru with him.

"Nah, I just have a knack of being conveniently around every time that you need me," Nakagauchi said proudly. "So what's this about an investigation?" he asked.

"About Sakurada-kun," Konomi started.

"If it's about him living with Minami, you're the last ones to know," Nagakauchi said pointedly. "Even Watanabe Daisuke already knows about the situation and we all know he's usually the last to know if it isn't anything about Furukawa~"

"If you added mangakas like Konomi-sensei to that circle of people who know then _he_ would be the last to know," Baba Toru piped up as he walked up to Nakagauchi.

"That's true," Ueshima agreed with a solemn nod.

Konomi pouted and crossed his arms. "Well regardless of that communication pattern..." he said before clearing his throat. "What's the issue on Sakurada?" he asked.

"Like I said, he lives with Minami now," Nakagauchi answered as he cleaned out his ear with his pinky.

"But why?" the mangaka prodded.

"I think I know where this is going..." Toru said before pulling out some papers and handed it to Konomi. "I'm sure you can figure out Doori's situation just by looking at these," he explained needlessly.

Ueshima stepped up behind Konomi and looked over his shoulder at the papers that he recognized were death certificates of Doori's parents.

Looking at the papers in understanding, the mangaka thought for a while. "I see...so that's why he's been camping out with Minami-kun..." he said thoughtfully, "But is that working for him?" he asked.

"Considering Minami's family, it's a bit hazy to say for certain. But Minami tries his hardest to try and place a fine line between yakuza activities and time with Doori since it somewhat unsettles him after what happened with Aibacchi," Toru explained with a shrug.

Half listening to this, Konomi looked over his shoulder at Yuuya who was being shown a few phones. "Hey Yuuya...want a brother?" he asked, causing the teen to suddenly look at him.

"E-Eh?" was the dumbfounded reply from the teen.

_'Looks like I need to go and get Attorney Takigawa on the phone for another set of those adoption papers...'_ Ueshima thought to himself with a chuckle, pulling out his own cell phone and flipped it open. Before he could open the phone book, Toru already snatched Nakagauchi's phone that was already ringing up Takigawa's phone and handed it to the director. "Thanks."

The voice on the other line stifled a yawn. "_Takigawa Eiji speaking._"

"I need a favor from you," Ueshima requested and explained the situation.

_"I'll drop them over at your house then,"_ came a sleepy response.

Grinning, Konomi nodded to Ueshima before walking up to Yuuya. "Let's look at them phones, shall we? Your mother over there has been bullying me to get one too," he told him before slinging an arm on his shoulders.

Blushing a bit, Yuuya nodded and turned his attention back to the gadgets.

As soon as he hung up, Ueshima shot Konomi a warning glare. "Just who did you say was the mother, _Takeru_?" he asked.

"We'll leave you guys to your shopping then. Come on Masa," Toru said with a nod before pulling his partner away to the cameras.

"Um...m-me?" Konomi answered carefully before laughing nervously, causing Yuuya to look up at him in slight confusion.

Ueshima nodded in satisfaction before walking up to the two and pointed out a few phones with good functionalities, especially for someone as primitive as Kushranada Takeru.

-break-

It took a while for the three to get whatever electronic gadgets Yuuya wanted and needed, and soon they stopped over for a little snack at one of the restaurants. Yuuya fidgeted as he looked around, not used to those kinds of places yet.

"I'll have the usual," Konomi said before closing the menu he had. "You?" he asked Yuuya.

"Um...whichever?" he said.

"At least look at the menu and point out something you really like or want to try Yuuya," Ueshima coaxed, handing the menu back to the boy. "Again, don't bother about the price."

"Er...okay..." Yuuya said before picking up the menu again and looked it over. Thinking for a while, the boy pointed at a pasta dish. "This one then sensei..." he said.

"Tou-san," Ueshima corrected with a smile as he swiped the menu and called the waiter to relay the orders.

"S-Sou...Tou-san..." Yuuya muttered as he shyly looked down at his lap.

Konomi chuckled. "You'll get used to it," he assured him.

"Yeah, and you can call him 'Kaa-san'," Ueshima said slyly, pointing to the mangaka as he spotted the waitress arriving with their food.

"Way to lessen the awkward atmosphere, Yukio," Konomi said before patting Yuuya on the shoulder. "Don't worry, there's no rush," he assured him.

"That was quick," Ueshima noted as the food was spread out on the table for them. _'Which reminds me to get a few extra boxes of cereal for the house...'_

Taking an experimental sniff of the food, Yuuya felt his mouth water. "Itadakimasu!" he said enthusiastically before digging in.

"Now that's the kind of attitude I want to see!" Konomi praised.

At the entrance of the restaurant, a loud yell was suddenly heard. "Get your hands off me, Nakagauchi!" Doori yelled as he thrashed from over the man's shoulder.

"Oh quit it, puri…" Nakagauchi said before slapping his ass in reprimand, causing the teen to squeak and quiet down.

"Dooooori!" Minami called out, running after Nakagauchi into the restaurant before spotting the sensei pair and paused. "U-Ueshima-sensei! Konomi-sensei!" he recognized.

"We stopped by your house and got the papers Takigawa-san dropped off," Toru offered, holding out the envelope to the mangaka. "All you need to do is sign it and he's yours~"

"Just in time!" Konomi said before taking a pen from his shirt and signed the papers before handing them to Ueshima.

"D-Doori?" Yuuya asked hesitantly.

"I hear Yuuya!" Doori exclaimed before trying to look over but failed.

"Sorry kid, not putting you down till everything's final," Nakagauchi told him.

"Until what's fi- hey are those adoption papers?" Minami identified when he spotted Ueshima leafing through the documents and signed in the designated places before handing it to Toru.

"You can put him down now Nakagauchi-kun," Ueshima instructed.

"And since we already tricked him into signing those earlier, we'll take them to Takigawa for processing," Nakagauchi said before putting Doori down on the space beside Ueshima. "Have fun sensei!" he called out before he and Toru left the establishment.

Doori blinked as he looked around in confusion. "E-Eh?" he said.

"Welcome to the family~" Ueshima chimed over to Doori.

Minami gaped his mouth like a fish out of water. "Whaaaaaat? Now it'll be twice as hard going out on dates with Doori!" he whined with a pout, slinking down onto the seat across his boyfriend beside the mangaka.

"Of course it would be," Konomi said with a grin before looking at Ueshima, "That one over there is no push over you know," he informed the younger.

"Exactly what I'm afraid of!" Minami protested with a frown.

Ueshima rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Doori, casually switching seats with him so that his two sons could sit together. Looking at this for a moment, he nodded to himself before sliding a dish Doori's way. "Have some food."

Yuuya and Doori looked at one another for a while before grinning. "Hai, itadakimasu!" Doori said before starting on his food.

"You should eat too, Minami-kun, there's enough for everyone," Konomi offered.

"I won't bite so long as you don't make parenting difficult for me Minami-kun," Ueshima warned him lightly.

Minami stiffened before nodding, deciding to distract himself by eating. "Itadakimasu!"

_'Ganbatte, Kei!'_ Doori mentally cheered.

Yuuya chuckled at this before finishing his food.

-break-

Meanwhile, the Takigawas finally settled back home after the trip to Shibuya. Takigawa Eiji had returned from dropping off the papers at Ueshima's place before plopping back onto the bed for another well-deserved nap.

Ryouma, in the meantime, was finding it unsettling looking at the big space that was his bedroom and the mass of shopping bags they brought back from Shibuya. "Er..."

"Need help sorting things?" Kimeru asked as he stepped in the room. "Your father's out like a light and I have nothing else to do...so..." he said before closing the door behind him.

Blushing in embarrassment, Ryouma looked from the singer to the bags before sheepishly nodding. "Alright, thanks... Though I have no idea how to even begin tackling this mountain of clothes..."

"Once we have your shirts out of the way it'll be a snap," Kimeru said in confidence before opening the bag nearest to him. "Oh look, underwear," he said before moving to put those in a drawer.

"K-Kaa-san!" Ryouma argued, unconsciously having already adjusted to calling them tou-san and kaa-san already.

"What?" Kimeru asked playfully, "It's not like it's anything new to me," he told him before putting the last of the underwear in the drawer.

"Now come on, there's a bunch of hangers somewhere there. We can use those on your other shirts."

"I seriously think you picked out at least _half_ of the pile we eventually brought home," Ryouma accused, picking up a shiny polo shirt from the pile and went to retrieve the hangers.

"No I didn't," Kimeru said calmly, "I was furniture shopping while you were picking out clothes, remember?" he pointed out before looking at his son. "If you're looking for someone to blame, I'd suggest that you blame your father~" he said with a grin. _'If you can, that is,'_ he thought with an inner chuckle.

"Uso..." Ryouma said incredulously, frowned deeply and in slight panic realizing the implications behind Kimeru's words. To distract himself, he bustled about grabbing a shirt or pair of pants and hung it on the closet.

"By the way, Ree what do you want for dinner?" Kimeru asked casually as he folded some shirts and set it on the bed for the meantime.

"Who's cooking?" Ryouma asked immediately.

"Your father," Kimeru answered. "He'll get to it once he gets up after a nice long sleep," he informed the younger. "By the way Ree, are you up to coming to the bar with me next week? I need to check on a few things."

Inwardly sighing in relief, although still not quite sure about what he was getting himself into, Ryouma contemplated on the offer for a moment as he continued hanging his new clothes. "Just as long as you come out and tell me what you own already so I don't have to get so surprised every single time, I will," he bargained.

"Five all around studios, three bars, six fashion lines, one mini department store, two stalls in Shibuya, nine restaurants, two cafe's, two houses, shares of the Tokyo metropolitan arena, seven recording studios, two music schools and your dad," Kimeru listed off.

Ryouma practically dropped what he was holding as his mouth gaped for the next few seconds before he frantically shook his head, composing himself and cleared his throat. "I see," he said in distraction. _'Wrong move,'_ he scolded himself.

Chuckling Kimeru moved over to the other bags to unpack the clothes inside them. "Oh yeah…I forgot to mention the six rest houses," he told the boy cheekily. "Which is why when you're on break or something we can go out of town," he offered.

Tripping over a paper bag, Ryouma fell to the floor before rolling onto his back and sat up. "Okay, I _really_ regret asking that question now!" he said with a light flail.

"Oh you shouldn't be," Kimeru said with a smile as he helped him up, "After all, you're going to end up inheriting all those eventually," he teased. "Better to know now, ne?"

Feeling dizzy, Ryouma absentmindedly nodded. "Right... inherit... me... son... riiiiiiiiiiight..." he said with finality.

-break-

Panning over to the residence next door, Shirota was outside in the front garden relaxing on a lawn chair, admiring the clouds in the sky while resting his leg. "Just a few more months~" he tried to reassure himself.

Down that street, Hisanori Satou happened to be walking by while carrying a rather large overnight bag. He had just left the house of a friend after a supposed sleepover and was heading to another friend's place in the pretense of having another one. Truth be told, he was doing this for quite some time now after leaving his parents house and not having the courage to tell anybody about. Unfortunately for the boy, he was starting to feel under the weather due to the accumulated stress. "Just...a few...more..." he muttered to himself before his body gave in, causing him to black out.

**~Caring~**

Shaken from his little daydreams when he heard a thud on the sidewalk, Shirota jumped out of his chair. "Eh?" Panicking for a moment, he looked around before turning to the house. "Hiropiyooooooo!"

Aiba came running out a few moments later and saw the collapsed figure on the floor. Quickly realizing he couldn't do anything due to his arm that was still in the cast, he did the next best thing. "DAI-NII!" he called out.

Instead of an immediate response, a puppy came running into the Shirota garden, barking happily and ran around Shirota's lawn chair. This was shortly followed by hurried footsteps giving chase. "RYOOOOOOOOUGAAAAAA!" Daisuke exclaimed.

"Daisuke, I don't think that's the reason why they called you outside," Furukawa pointed out before looking over at Satou. "Now what do we have here?" he asked as he approached the collapsed boy.

Managing to finally catch Ryouga, Daisuke blinked and looked over to Furukawa. "Oh, looks like he collapsed. Should I get him something to eat or drink?" he asked.

"I'm on it!" Shirota called out, hopping over into the house.

"I think a cold towel and a soft bed would do," Furukawa answered before gingerly picking the boy up. "Get the bags for me, please," he asked Daisuke before walking towards the Shirotas.

Aiba held the door open as Furukawa went inside, watching Satou curiously.

Daisuke scooped up the bag with his free hand before following the group into the Shirota house. Shirota directed them to the guest room upstairs as he limped around the house as quick as he could.

"You should seriously stop doing that if you want to get better quicker," he commented over to Shirota.

"It's fine I'm used to it," the younger said dismissively.

Putting Satou on the bed and placed the wet towel that Hiroki had handed on his head, Furukawa stepped back and smiled. "He'll be alright," he told them. "Hmm... He looks familiar, don't you think?" he asked.

Squinting for a while to get a better look at the boy, Shirota's eyes widened and pointed. "Aaaaah, it's Hisanori-kun!" he exclaimed in a hushed voice. "He attended Mitsukaru before."

"I see..." Furukawa said thoughtfully. "We'll leave him in your care then~"

"Eeeeh?" Aiba exclaimed in shock.

"Yes?" Furukawa asked with a smile.

"Since he's already here might as well be you guys that look after him. Shirotan knowing him was an added bonus~" Daisuke explained, adjusting his hold on Ryouga.

Shirota looked from the teen to the other pair. "B-But we have no idea about taking care of kids!" he argued.

"And the simple reason of considering him as a kid is already a good first step~ Good luck~" Daisuke encouraged before he and Furukawa left the house.

Shirota frowned before turning to Aiba. "What do we do now?"

"We take care of him~" Aiba said enthusiastically before sitting down beside Satou.

A few minutes later, the younger woke up from unconsciousness and hesitantly looked around and saw the nice room he was in. _'Am I dead?'_ he thought before spotting a familiar face. "Hey...aren't you...?" he said weakly.

"Hai, Shirotan desu~" Shirota told the younger with a smile. "I believe we were schoolmates back in Senior High. Ne, Hisanori-kun?" he confirmed.

"S-Shirota-kaichou?" Satou asked hesitantly before trying to sit up and failed doing so.

"Easy there, Hisanori-kun, let your body recover from the shock of fainting," Aiba told him gently. "Now then, if you could just tell us the phone number of your parents-"

"I can't," Satou cut in.

"Why is that?" Aiba asked.

"J-Just because!"

Shirota turned to Aiba for a moment of confusion as he adjusted his in his chair. "Are they abroad or something?" he clarified.

"N-N...Yes! That's exactly it," Satou answered.

Aiba pouted. "Hisanori-kun, have you forgotten that you're very transparent when you try lying?" he asked him.

Frowning, Satou semi-glared at the Fuji actor. _'Well, it's been working quite well for the past few sleepovers...'_ he thought.

"I suppose your friends may have been fooled but we aren't," Shirota stated seriously, frowning as he observed the younger contemplatively. _'Just what is he trying to hide about his parents?'_ he asked himself.

"My parents stopped caring about me ever since I was 12 so calling them now would be useless," Satou snapped. "Besides...they've long left Japan already. They were always eager to leave me behind."

"Since you were 12?" Shirota repeated in surprised before frowning. "But that means that..."

Looking away pointedly, Satou sighed inwardly. "What of it?" he asked in irritation. "I was a scholar ever since..." he added. "...an athletic scholarship was what got me through."

"Yes I remember that you were on scholarship..." Shirota said ruefully. "So... what have you been doing now?"

"Surviving on sleepovers," Satou admitted.

"And no one ever found out?" Aiba asked.

"...You guys did."

"That makes us responsible for you!" Shirota chimed with a smile before he got to his feet. "I'll go and give Dai-nii a call~"

"W-Wait a minute! What are you calling other people in for?" Satou asked in alarm.

"I was about to ask the same thing," Aiba said in confusion.

"Relax," Shirota reassured them as he whipped out his phone. "I'm just going to ask him for a few papers~"

"Oh..thaaaaaaaat," Aiba said in realization.

"What? What's that?" Satou asked with a frown. "Will somebody please tell me what's going on?" he asked.

"That's a secret Hisanori-kun~" Shirota fired back with a grin before excusing himself from the room to make the call.

"...I'm going back to sleep..." Satou said before flopping back down.

"You go do that so that when you wake up it's time for dinner~" Aiba said before patting him on the head.

-break-

"...I'm not kidding!" Shirota said with a pout through the phone.

_"Okay okay I get it. I'll hand you the documents a little later. Yun's calling me to the basement,"_ Daisuke said before cutting the line.

Shirota blinked as he glanced at the phone. "What would Furukawa-kun be doing in the basement?" he asked himself randomly before shrugging.

"Hisanori-kun fell asleep again," Aiba informed his partner as he joined him. "Soooo, have you fixed it?" he asked hopefully.

"I can't when I don't have the papers on hand," Shirota whined with a frown. "Dai-nii said he'd give it to me after he helps Furukawa-kun with something."

"If it involved their basement I think we should just invite them for dinner," Aiba said with a pout. "Only kami-sama knows what happens down there."

"Clearly you know something that I don't again," Shirota accused, sticking his tongue out playfully before nodding. "That's true. For now I think we should finally start redecorating that other bedroom properly."

"Um ...Yuu...injured limbs?" Aiba reminded as he raised his arm in emphasis. "We can ask help from the others once they're not too busy for now."

Staring down at his cast, Yuu frowned before slumping his shoulders, for a moment deflated. "Oh right... So maybe we can figure out someone who knows Hisanori-kun... If it's Mitsukaru there's bound to be someone..." he explained.

"How about we ask Hisanori-kun what he wants to do when he wakes up before we decide things for him?" Aiba offered. "Maybe...he'd want to stay with us," he told him.

"Okay~" Shirota conceded quickly. "But that means more waiting, so I think I want to go and grab some chocolate to munch on!" he said randomly.

"Check the freezer," Aiba said helpfully. "I think Eiji-nii re-stocked it last time."

"Yosh~ Chocolate~ Chocolate~ Chocolate~" Shirota sang as he headed off to the kitchen in a happy daze.

-break-

Later that day, activity after activity revived amidst the three households. Takigawa finally was up and about, cooking for the three households after finding out about the sudden guest; Daisuke was sprawled out on the couch muttering darkly about his partner and the basement, while Shirota was sitting down beside Satou solving a crossword puzzle waiting for the boy to wake up.

Soon enough, Satou woke up and opened his eyes with a groan. "S-Shirota-kaichou?" he identified as soon as he spotted Shirota.

Looking up from his book, Shirota smiled and placed the pen in as a temporary mark for his puzzle and placed it down on the bedside, shifting his attention to Satou entirely. "Hey there, glad to see you finally awake~" he greeted. "You hungry? Eiji-nii's whipping up dinner so it'll be a while."

Frowning at this, Satou slowly sat up. "Why do you...even care so much? You barely know me, Kaichou," he asked as he met Shirota's gaze.

"I care because I want to, Hisanori-kun~" Shirota explained needlessly. "When someone's in trouble my first tendency is to panic. Buuuut after that I try my darnest to show as much concern or care as needed from person to person," he added with a chuckle. "Plus with a husband like Hiroki I guess you could say his want to help others rubbed off on me~"

"I...see..." Satou said before sending his gaze back down to the sheets. Then an idea hit him. "Say, Kaichou...can I stay here for a few days?" he asked.

Glancing momentarily over to the bedside table where a spread of signed papers was laid alongside his crossword puzzle book, Shirota smiled over to Satou. "I've got a better proposition for you if you're up to it," he offered before grabbing the papers. "Are you perhaps interested in staying here with us for a longer period of time? Say... as part of the family?"

"F-Family?" Satou repeated in surprise. "Would...would that really be okay?" he asked.

Shirota beamed before holding out the papers and a pen to Satou. "All that's needed is a yes from you, your signature on the appropriate places on these papers and you'll be a Shirota~"

Carefully taking the papers, Hisanori looked them over and spotted something in particular. "Only if...only if you'd let me alter my name a bit," he bargained.

"Go right ahead~" Shirota said encouragingly, stretching his arms over his head.

Satou nodded before reaching for a pen that was conveniently on the bedside table and affixed whatever needed to be placed there. "H-Hai..." he said before handing them back to Shirota.

"Hmm... Lessee..." Shirota said as he reviewed the papers. "Shirota Satoshi..." he smiled as he turned to the boy. "That sounds great~" he complimented.

"D-domo..." Satou said quietly.

"Hey boys," Kimeru called out as he peeked in the room. "Dinner's done, come on down," he told the two.

"Yosh, dinner!" Shirota cheered, getting to his feet a little too fast before grimacing in pain. "I-teeeeeeeeeee!"

Seeing this, Satou -now Satoshi-, got up from bed and hurriedly helped Shirota back to his feet. "A-are you alright?" he asked before looking down and saw the cast. "You're injured!" he pointed out. "You have to be more careful, tou-san!" he said. Realizing what he unconsciously blurted out, the teen looked away in embarrassment.

"A-ra...what do we have here?" Kimeru asked as he crossed his arms and leaned on the door frame as he grinned.

Hopping on his good leg, Shirota sat back on the bed and heaved a sigh of relief before turning to Satoshi. "I'm okay, don't worry~" he reassured him with a smile, oblivious to having been called tou-san.

_'He didn't seem to notice...good...'_ Satoshi thought in relief before offering a hand, "Should...should I help you downstairs?" he offered.

Seeing that his assistance wasn't needed, Kimeru slinked away from the scene and went on downstairs.

Shirota beamed at this. "That would be great musuko-chan~" he chimed with an inner chuckle.

Satoshi nodded sheepishly and assisted Shirota in coming down the stairs. "Looks like we're making some progress here," Aiba said as he spotted them as soon as they got down.

"What's for dinner?" Shirota asked.

"Curry," Takigawa intoned as he glanced over to him. "With a dash of chocolate."

"You can put chocolate in curry?" Shirota asked incredulously.

"Yup," Daisuke confirmed. "You never tried it before?"

"That's because Hiropiyo kept saying how I was having too much chocolate with everything!" the second generation Tezuka intoned with a light flail.

"Well it's true!" Aiba said in defense.

"Yes yes, now let's all settle down so Shirotan can indulge himself," Kimeru said teasingly.

"Yes let's- hey!" Shirota complained with a pout.

"Don't take it personally Shirotan," Takigawa consoled. "After all, you've got a new son to attend to~"

Ryouma handed Satoshi a plate of curry. "Here you go," he offered with a smile.

"A...Aa…domo," Satoshi answered sheepishly before taking the plate and setting it down. Slowly he looked at Ryouma for a while before frowning. "Hey wait a minute...aren't you Baba-buchou of the tennis club?" he asked.

"Yes I am," Ryouma answered with a sheepish smile. "I'm surprised you still know me," he admitted.

"A-re? Another connection we weren't aware of?" Shirota inquired.

"Looks like it," Takigawa pointed out.

"So you went to Mitsukaru?" Aiba asked.

Satoshi nodded his head. "I came from Shizuri..." he said carefully, aware of the tension between the two schools. "I transferred to Mitsukaru in the middle of first year but remained mostly invisible," he explained.

"Invisible? I hardly think that's the-" Takigawa began to explain.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" Shirota suddenly screamed.

"What's wrong?" Daisuke asked with a frown, turning to the injured Tezuka actor.

"Satoshi... You were part of the soccer team weren't you?" Shirota asked quickly.

"Didn't we already establish that I was a team mate?" Satoshi asked before pouting. "You were the one who said so yourself, t-tou-san..." he said, stuttering out the last bit.

"No you didn't," Shirota argued with a frown. "All you mentioned was you being an athletic scholar, but not the actual sport," he explained.

"Well why do you ca-...oh right...gomen," Satoshi said apologetically, hanging his head low. "Yes, I was part of the soccer club," he answered.

"I'm disappointed Yuu-kun. And you were captain no less in our senior year," Ryouma told Shirota with a shake of his head.

"Yeah well... my president instincts kicked in before my team captain instincts did. Plus he was on sick leave often so I didn't realize it right away," Shirota argued.

"Sick leave?" Aiba asked. "So that explains why he wasn't there very often," he said thoughtfully.

"And I never did get to understand why," Shirota admitted.

"I began to wonder if you bothered continuing the usual standard procedure of collaborating with the school paper to do our investigations to solve such mysteries, Shirotan," Takigawa accused.

"Well...at least now you can put that behind us," Aiba said with a smile.

Shirota nodded before turning to Satoshi with a smile. "Don't be shy now, tuck in~" he coaxed.

"We've got a lot of food spread out," Takigawa reminded the boy.

"Mm," Satoshi said before clapping his hands together. "Itadakimasu," he said before starting to eat.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED. :D

We look forward to your reviews and possible suggestions. :)


	26. Promises and Reunions

**Title:** Anything for You  
**Author/Artist:** snooperj & Bloodysamurai  
**Series/Pairing(s):** TeniMyu; Mainly Takigawa Eiji x Kimeru, Shirota Yuu x Aiba Hiroki & Watanabe Daisuke x Furukawa Yuuta  
**Notes:** Here is the 26th chapter entitled** Promises and Reunions**. Kimeru finds time to clean up the family studio room only to discover a blast from the past when he stumbles upon Takigawa's collection of his works from start to current. After a dramatic realization between the two, the J-Pop singer books a cruise for him and his friends to get away from the stresses of life. This chapter details the events of May 12 and 13, 2007.

A/N: Some other J-actors outside TeniMyu will be introduced into the story! Don't know them? Google them~ Also, I've reuploaded Chapters 15-18 and fixed the breaks for easier distinction of change scenes so it makes reading/rereading easier for everybody. :) - snooperj

**ALSO! None of the authors of this roleplay/fanfic own TeniMyu or the actors, but are mere fangirls of the musical series and corresponding actors we write about. Everything that progresses in the story is the creation of our witty imaginations.

* * *

_**~Memory Recall~  
**_+++May 12, 2007+++

The weekend arrived. The Takigawas were sitting down to a little family lunch in the dining room, feasting on Eiji's chicken casserole.

"This is really good tou-san," Ryouma complimented with a smile.

"I want you to stay out of the studio room, by the way, Ree," Kimeru told his son. "I'll be cleaning up and we all know how you react to dust after that encounter with the rug yesterday," he reminded him. "You can help your father if you want, but I suggest you take it easy, okay? I still see your rashes."

"We'll schedule a trip to the doctor to see what can be done about that asthma of yours," Takigawa added.

Ryouma nodded ruefully to his parents. "Haaaai."

Nodding in satisfaction, Kimeru finished his meal and stood up. "I'll take care of the dishes later~" he told the two. "I'll be upstairs if any of you need me, okay?" he said before excusing himself and heading up to the studio to get started.

Waving to Kimeru as he went upstairs, Ryouma turned to Takigawa. "Tou-san...?"

"Hmm?"

"What exactly is in the studio room?"

Thinking about it, Takigawa leaned back on his chair. "Well... your mom's albums," he answered. _'And my personal collection of his albums,'_ he added to himself.

-break-

"Let's get this over with," Kimeru said as he entered the studio room. Putting on a face mask and rolling up his sleeves, the singer started on their rather large collection of CDs. "What the hell does Eiji keep in these?" he asked as he took a few CD stacks that were accumulating dust at the corner and cringed at the dust cloud that appeared as soon as he moved them. Feeling some get in his eye, he stumbled back a bit and accidentally let some CDs fall to the ground, "Ah shit," he exclaimed before gently putting down the rest of the stack to retrieve the fallen disks.

"Now where do these-" he paused as he looked at the CD cover. "Hey...this...this was the one I released in High School...but..." frowning, he trailed off as he looked at the other disc. "This was from college..." he muttered before sitting down. "Wait a minute...how did..."

-break-

Takigawa took several glances to the stairs as Ryouma finished eating. Noticing this distraction, he got up and took the dishes. "I'll do the dishes. Maybe you want to go and help kaa-san?" he suggested. "I can go and feed the pets then rest or visit the neighbors to keep myself busy."

Smiling softly to his son, grateful for his understanding, he nodded and got up, trudging upstairs. Knocking on the door to the studio, Takigawa peeked his head in. "Kime?"

Takigawa's voice not registering in his mind, Kimeru continued to stare dumbly at the CDs. "I don't understand..." he told himself. "Why...how could I have forgotten him in the first place?" he asked.

Walking up to the singer, Takigawa squatted down behind him and looked over his shoulder to see what he was gaping at. "I see you finally found my prized memorabilia," he intoned fondly.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Kimeru looked behind him. "Where...where did you get this?" he asked him carefully. "No..._how_ did you get this?" he asked.

Hearing the door creak open, Takigawa looked over his shoulder and held out his hand to his husband. "I think it's best to answer that question in a dust-free room," he chided. "It's a good chance for Ree to hear an important story as well."

Ryouma, who was standing outside the room, stiffened before scratching the back of his head. "Er...I'll be waiting in your bedroom!" he announced before running off.

"A-Alright," Kimeru said as he took the CDs and stood up. "Let me just get myself presentable," he said before heading to the bathroom to change out of his cleaning clothes.

-break-

A few minutes later, the family gathered at the master's bedroom, ready to recall and put the past to a close.

Settling comfortably on the armchair, Takigawa pulled Kimeru onto his lap as Ryouma plopped himself down on the bed. "So… To answer your question, I got this just as any other person could get a copy; I attended your recital at the conservatory amphitheater," Takigawa explained.

Frowning at this, Kimeru looked down, "I don't understand..." he said. "I don't remember...inviting you...let alone anything about you after Mitsukaru High," he admitted.

"If I remember Kaa-san wasn't at the graduation ceremony because he attended the conservatory..." Ryouma confirmed.

Takigawa nodded in confirmation. "That's right. And to be honest I didn't really put as much effort as I could into seeing you after Senior High. But there were a few promises I couldn't break and what I felt never left," he explained.

"That still doesn't explain why I can't forget-"

_**'We'd never meet again so it's pretty much hopeless to keep clinging onto a dream...'**_

Kimeru's hand flew to his head as a very distinct and painful throbbing started. "I-Itte..." he grunted.

Ryouma pushed himself off the bed. "Kaa-san!" he called out in alarm.

Takigawa calmly raised a hand to their son and cradled his husband to him, gingerly easing him to settle onto his chest. "Just relax Kazu..." he soothed.

"Back in Mitsukaru...I...I left without a word," Kimeru started. "But what happened ...after?" he asked as he whimpered at the pain.

Settling back down on the bed, Ryouma rested his head on his hands. "If I remember correctly Tou-san gave a really inspiring graduation speech that time. What was it about again?"

"Apparently not as inspiring if you forgot what it was I said," Takigawa teased before smiling and turned to Kimeru.

"I vaguely remember being sent a recorded copy of that," Kimeru answered before settling in Takigawa's arms. _'But I still can't figure out why I'd forget someone as important as Eiji,'._

"Then maybe I need to jog your memory a little," Takigawa offered. "I believe one of the things I said was... 'What if you made a promise to do something for someone when a certain time came? Wouldn't it be something_worth_ remembering?'"

"Was that a personal thing tou-san?" Ryouma asked curiously.

Smiling, Takigawa nodded. "Mm," he confirmed, turning to his husband, kissing him on the cheek and pointed to the CDs in his hands. "A promise kept."

At this, Kimeru's eyes snapped open. Pushing himself away from Takigawa, he fell unceremoniously on the floor and stayed there as he kept his head low. "G-Gomen..." he said quietly before he felt his body shaking, "Eiji gomen!"

Blinking in stunned surprise at this, Takigawa leaned forward from the recliner of the armchair, glancing down at his husband. "Kazuko..."

"Kaa-san..." Ryouma intoned quietly as he watched them.

Takigawa got off the chair and knelt down. "Kazuko... You don't need to apologize for anything," he reassured him. "Come on, get up," he coaxed.

"N-No!" Kimeru cried out as he pushed Takigawa away. "I...I...I'm the absolute worst!" he suddenly exclaimed as he brought his hands on his head as tears started trailing down his cheeks at the realization. "The absolute...worst..." he whimpered.

Using his strength to his advantage, Takigawa pulled Kazuko from the floor and pulled him into an embrace. "You are _not_the worst," Takigawa stated firmly as he tried to calm him down, rubbing his back.

Ryouma, though it pained him to do so, took this as a hint to give his parents some privacy and tiptoed out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Silently thanking Ryouma for his decision, Takigawa continued soothing his husband. "Kazuko... We ended our years at Mitsukaru on a bad note..." he muttered in explanation. "On that rainy afternoon on the rooftop..."

_**Rain poured down heavily on the two students facing one another at the rooftop. Kimeru was grateful for it masked the tears that were flowing down his face as his last sentence lingered in the air. **__'I'm going to attend Tokyo's conservatory of music...I won't be able to be here for the last two weeks of classes. I won't be able to go to the dance nor the graduation...I'm sorry Eiji'._

_**Completely soaked to the bone, Takigawa found himself at a genuine loss for words. Slowly lowering his gaze to the ground, the Student Council President clenched his fists. "...When did you decide to go to the conservatory?" he managed to asked, raising his head to look at the vocalist again. "Without even telling me..."**_

_**"It...it was a decision I made long ago...an application I filed long before I started a relationship with you,"**__**Kimeru answered as they heard thunder rumble in the distance.**_

_**"Then you could have told me about your plans," Takigawa offered as soon as remnants of the thunder died down. "At least then I could have made better preparations..." **_

_**"There aren't any preparations for this sort of thing," Kimeru told him bitterly before falling silent.**__**"Eiji...I...That's not the only reason I called you up here," he said further as lightning struck not too far away.**__**"Eiji I'm breaking up with you."**_

_**Takigawa felt his heart clench painfully at those words he didn't realize that tears were already starting to fall from his eyes. "You can't mean that..." he said in an almost desperate tone.**_

_**"I-I'm sorry, Eiji," Kimeru said quietly before rushing past Takigawa and went through the door leading to the staircase back to the interior of the building.**_

Takigawa pulled Kimeru closer to him as the memory recounted in his mind. "You did what you thought was for the best..." he told him quietly, kissing him atop his head. "And you shouldn't apologize because you paved the way to the future you have right now... And I'm here with you now aren't I? 11 years after that rainy afternoon when you broke up with me. But even if you didn't know it, I stayed with you. I was your number one supporter from your days in high school to your days at the conservatory to your singing career. Just know that you're not alone anymore Kazuko. Know that no matter what it was you did, you did so for a reason. So don't ever regret the choices you made before now. What's past is the past, so please don't go back and wallow in regret for what you did or didn't do." Takigawa paused and smiled. "Just know that I love you more than any man or woman on this Earth."

"Even if that was the case...you didn't...you didn't know the entirety of it!" Kimeru insisted as he looked up at Takigawa. "Eiji I...I made myself forget you..."

Takigawa nodded solemnly. "I know," he answered quietly.

"Y-You knew?" Kimeru asked carefully. "But Eiji...how did..."

"The same way I got my information while you were at the conservatory," Takigawa explained with a chuckle.

"How..." Kimeru frowned before he looked outside in realization. "Yun..."

Takigawa nodded. "You weren't the only one who left Mitsukaru early for the conservatory," he chided. "Yun left about a few days after you, but not before he offered to keep me posted about you when he found out about what happened between us."

"I see..." Kimeru said as he sniffled a bit and wiped his tears away. "Yun is always so reliable, isn't he?" he asked in amusement before turning his attention to the door. "You can stop eavesdropping and come in, Ree," he called out.

Ryouma jumped and slowly opened the door. "I didn't mean to, gomen!" he apologized with a bow as soon as he was inside.

"Don't think about it too much," Takigawa said with a smile.

"Come over here," Kimeru said gently before pulling Ryouma into an embrace as soon as he was close enough. "I'd rather you know about this, Ree," he told him with a smile. "You're family, after all."

Ryouma returned the embrace and nodded in understanding. "So..." he started as he pulled back. "Why did you break up with tou-san?"

"Because we...we were chasing our dreams," Kimeru explained as he pulled away. "We were going to part ways, it was unavoidable at that time and I never expected that we'd find our way back to one another eventually."

"Dreams?" Ryouma repeated, turning to Takigawa.

"I went to Tokyo U for law," the muscle man supplied. "I always thought we'd go our separate ways come university but what I didn't expect all connection to be severed in the process. So it was a real shock," he admitted sheepishly.

"We had fields that were no way related to one another," Kimeru supplied. "But we shall thank Ueshima-sensei for fixing that department," he added with a chuckle.

Sitting down on the bed, Ryouma looked at his parents in interest. "How did he help?"

"He sent me and your father casting calls for the first Prince of Tennis musical," Kimeru said with a smile. "I think I still have that letter somewhere in the attic."

"If anything I would think that Ueshima-sensei called us back because he saw a vast number of us grow up together in Mitsukaru. And along with Konomi-sensei, brought us back together for the reason that the musical we were portraying came about because of what we had in senior high," Takigawa explained to their son.

"You mean that story during the camp out with the sensei pair?" Ryouma confirmed.

"Yes. Which reminds me, we're having smores tonight after dinner~" Kimeru said as he ruffled Ryouma's hair.

"We are? Yosh~" Ryouma cheered.

"Think we should invite the Shirotas and the Watanabes to join us?" Takigawa asked the two, fishing out his cell phone from his pocket.

"Yes we should, there's a lot of smores to finish," Kimeru said. "I want to talk to them about another vacation too with our kids."

**~Vacation Plans~**

"You want to talk about vacation plans when Shirotan and Aibacchi are still in their casts?" Takigawa asked before speed-dialing Furukawa and Shirota, relaying the information about the joint dinner out in the backyard tonight.

"Okay, sounds good~" Shirota voiced out enthusiastically.

"Something for them to look forward to besides going to the bar," Kimeru said with a smile. "I plan to close down an amusement park for everyone to enjoy on the last day of our trip. Of course I'm inviting everyone else for that."

"You can actually do that?" Ryouma asked incredulously.

After getting off the phone with them, Takigawa turned to his husband. "Shirotan says that they'll be going to get his cast off next Saturday and will be starting rehabilitation thereafter. Aibacchi will have his taken off at the first of the month in June."

"Then we'll go during mid June so everyone can enjoy themselves," Kimeru said. "Would you like that, Ree?" he asked his son.

"Sorry but that time frame's closed and taken," Takigawa suddenly said.

Ryouma turned to his father. "Eh? Why?"

Takigawa moved up to their son and whispered the rest in his ear. "I have a party planned for your mom."

"!" Ryouma exclaimed with a grin.

Pressing a finger to his lips, Takigawa nodded.

Clueless about it all, Kimeru thought for a while, "Early July then," Kimeru bargained. "Anyone has plans?" he asked.

"We don't~" came a voice from the window.

"Yes we do!" Daisuke countered before pursing his lips.

Takigawa raised an eyebrow and walked to the window and peeked out to find the Watanabe pair outside. "Let's continue this discussion downstairs then," he announced before ushering his family downstairs out in the backyard, where they all settled down together, joined by the Shirotas.

"So what's this meeting all about?" Shirota asked cheerfully.

"When are you available for a vacation?" Kimeru asked.

Aiba shrugged. "Any time I guess."

"Whenever Daisuke's available, apparently," Furukawa said with a chuckle.

"The end of the month," Daisuke answered.

"I can guess why you don't want it to fall on July," Takigawa said with a chuckle.

Kimeru sighed, "We keep on moving it..." he muttered before looking around and standing up from his seat.

"Kime-nii?" Aiba asked hesitantly.

"Pack your bags, we're all going on a trip," he announced.

"EEEEEEEEEEEH?"

"Now?" Ryouma asked incredulously.

Shirota beamed. "I'll go wake up Satoshi!" he said eagerly before hobbling off back inside their house.

"As expected the one most unfazed and excited ends up to be Shirotan," Takigawa said, shaking his head.

"See Daisuke, I told you I was packing for a reason other than leaving you," Furukawa teased as he patted his husband on the shoulder.

Pulling out his phone, Kimeru grinned over at Ryouma. "Pick one Kamakura or Yokohama?" he asked him. "Or we could just go for a cruise~"

Aiba grinned. "Go on and pick for us Ree! Yuu and I will just pack~" he said happily before following his partner.

Daisuke pouted and crossed his arms stubbornly. "Then you could have told me off the bat!" he complained.

"Eeeeeeeeeeh? Boku?" Ryouma asked, pointing dumbly to himself.

"No one else is named Ree here," Takigawa poitned out.

"Oh yeah... Uhm... A cruise...?" he asked.

"A cruise it is then," Kimeru said before busying himself with his phone, completely forgetting about the cleaning job that he left unfinished.

"You and I are packing," Takigawa told Ryouma, grabbing him by the collar and dragging him back inside.

"Haaaaai~" Ryouma answered.

-break-

Meanwhile, in the Shirota household, Shirota was stirring Satoshi awake. "Mou, Satoshi!" he called out. "Wake uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuup!"

Satoshi rolled over and covered his head with a pillow. "Five more minuteeeeeeeeeeeeees," he practically begged before cracking an eye open.

"But we're going on a vacatiooooooooooooon," Shirota whined, snatching the pillow from him. "We need to get packing~"

Satoshi sat up and frowned before pointing to his still mostly unpacked bag before slumping back down to get more shut eye.

Turning to the bag, Shirota leaned back. "Oh... Okay," he said before getting to his feet and limped off to help Aiba instead. "Hiropiyo~"

"In the bedroom~" Aiba called out as he pulled out their clothes from the closet and placed them on the bed for packing.

"I can't wait to have this cast off~" Shirota said as he entered the room and plopped onto the bed with a grin. "Can you believe how long we've had these?" he told his husband with a smile.

"It feels like forever," Aiba said as he pulled out their bags. "These should do," he said as he dragged them to the side of the bed.

Shirota nodded. "I'll fold the clothes~" he volunteered, pulling a pile to him and began doing his task. "But at least once we've fully recovered we can start doing things more freely now~"

"I agree," Aiba said with a nod.

A thump was suddenly heard by the door, causing the two to look over in its general direction. Slowly, the door opened, revealing Satoshi who was nursing a forming bump on his forehead "Can I help...?" he asked.

"Of course you can~" Shirota beamed, moving to give their son some space on the bed. "But get some ice on that bump first," he instructed, pointing to the room's mini-fridge.

"Mm..." Satoshi said before heading off to the side to retrieve an ice pack.

"I thought you wanted to sleep some more?" Aiba pointed out with a chuckle causing Satoshi to shake his head.

"What changed your mind?" Shirota asked casually, folding a random shirt.

"I wanted to spend time with you I guess..." Satoshi said with a shrug before sitting down beside Shirota as he held the ice pack in place.

"That's good to hear~ This way we can spend some quality time together as a family," Shirota said with a nod. "We still have a lot to learn about you after all~"

"...I like chocolate," Satoshi said hopefully, causing Aiba to snicker.

"Looks like you and your father will be getting along just fine," he told him.

"That we will~" Shirota said happily. "I have a pack of Kit-Kat in the fridge. We can all share it since Hiropiyo likes it too~" he suggested.

"And we can buy some snack on the way for the trip, too~" Aiba said as he walked to the fridge to retrieve the Kit-Kat. "Hai~" he said happily as he distributed it.

"Itadakimasu~" Shirota said before munching on his share. "Mmmmmmm, chocolate~"

-break-

"Knowing Kime, we'll be leaving by tomorrow since it's impossible for him to book one today," Furukawa said with a smile. "Want to go for a walk after we pack?" he asked.

Daisuke nodded before hearing a bark from inside. "Ryouga needs a walk too," he said, glancing towards the house.

"Alright then~" Furukawa said with a smile as they finished up their packing and headed out to take Ryouga for a walk.

Deciding to walk by the park that day, Furukawa noticed a construction nearby. "Oya...seems like someone's joining us soon," he said in amusement before spotting someone walking recklessly in front of it.

"Eh?" Daisuke looked in the same direction before his mouth gaped in alarm. "It looks like he's about to collapse!" he pointed out.

"I'm the brain, you're the brawn," Furukawa said calmly as he took Ryouga's leash from Daisuke.

-break-

By the construction site, one Hamao Kyousuke trudged on completely unaware of the danger. "Haraheta..." he muttered weakly.

Without thinking, Daisuke dashed towards the boy just as a few pipes began to fall from a dangerous height. "Look out!" he called, pushing Kyousuke out of harm's way.

Stumbling as he felt himself pressed against Daisuke, Kyousuke looked up in confusion. "Hey...I know you..." he said before hearing his stomach grumble. "...urgh..." he said as he knelt down.

Feeling around his pockets for a pack of cookies he brought along for a snack, Daisuke offered it to Kyousuke. "Here, you look starved," he observed with a small smile.

"D-domo..." Kyousuke said weakly before taking the back of cookies and stepped away from the construction to eat as Furukawa approached them with the puppy in tow.

"Hello there, Hamao-kun~" he greeted with a smile. "There's a lot more where that came from if you'd come with us," he coaxed.

"Really...?" Kyousuke asked.

Ryouga barked happily in agreement as Daisuke nodded. "Yun just made a batch of cookies so there's a jar full back home if you want some," he offered.

"At least for a short while so you can eat properly," Furukawa added.

Mouth nearly watering at the mention of food, Kyousuke nodded eagerly. "It wouldn't hurt," he said before following the Watanabe pair back home.

During the walk home, Ryouga kept walking behind Kyousuke, sniffing him and wagging his tail eagerly.

"Ryouga, behave!" Daisuke reprimanded.

Pausing and looking down at the dog, Kyousuke managed a small smile and patted him. "Good boy," he said, "I'll play with you when we get to your house, okay?" he told him.

Furukawa chuckled as he watched this. "You better keep your promise, Hamao-kun, Ryouga's not going to let you forget it."

Ryouga, elated at the promise to play, barked and ran around Kyousuke just as Daisuke unclipped the leash.

"Hold up there," Kyousuke said with a chuckle as he plucked the dog from the ground. "You're a little ball of energy aren't cha?" he said before cuddling him affectionately.

Furukawa moved up beside Daisuke and smiled. "You wanted an advance warning, right?" he asked him mysteriously.

Turning to his fiancé, Daisuke nodded. "Should I take out those papers?" he asked him in return.

Watching Kyousuke play with their pet, Furukawa nodded. "We'll convince him one way or another," he said with a smile.

"We got to know about his situation first though," Daisuke noted as they reached their house and smiled. "We're here~" he announced.

At that time, Ryouma was outside, about to go jogging when he noticed Kyosuke. "A-re? Hamao-kun?" he identified.

Staring at Ryouma for a bit, Hamao frowned before his eyes widened in recognition. "Baba-buchou!" he pointed out.

Furukawa nodded. "That he is, but keep in mind that his last name is Takigawa now," he pointed out. "Come along then, Hamao-kun~" he encouraged as he opened the front door.

Ryouma smiled, waving at Hamao before nodding to the Watanabes before going out on his jog.

Daisuke followed the two inside, making a beeline for the kitchen.

"So, Hamao-kun...what brings you to these parts?" Furukawa asked as he brought out some food from the fridge.

"I was looking for some friends to crash over the night," Kyousuke admitted.

"Oh? Why is that?"

A pause. "Well...I really couldn't pay my rent anymore since my parents wouldn't give me any more money since I've become useless to them," he answered.

"Define useless."

"Couldn't get a high paying job," Kyousuke said flatly. "It was Ueshima-sensei who referred me to these parts."

"So am I assuming that you were sent a casting call for TeniMyu?" Daisuke asked randomly.

"Ah yeah," Kyousuke said as he pulled out an envelope from his pocket. "My parents said it was a bunch of crap but...Prince of Tennis is Prince of Tennis," he said as a smile started to form at his lips. "It's by Konomi-sensei so how could I possibly say no?" he asked happily.

"Which character do you plan to audition for?" Furukawa asked.

"Kikumaru, definitely!"

"I'd say you'd have that audition down pat," Daisuke said with a nod. "The audition isn't until next Monday, so why don't you stay with us for the time being? We have lots of space here since we have this house to ourselves," he offered.

"Stay w-with you?" Kyousuke asked. "Well...sure," he said, not able to say no to a free offer.

Furukawa chuckled. "That settles things for now then. I'll show you to your room once you're done eating," he said as he served the boy some food.

"Hai...Itadakimasu!"

**~Relaxing Cruise~**

+++May 13, 2007+++

The following day, the three households' residents, with the addition of Hamao, had an early start as a shuttle came to pick them up and drive them to the port for the cruise Kimeru had booked for them. Some slept on the ride over and arrived just as the boat had come into port.

The group of nine boarded and checked in to their rooms - Takigawa and Kimeru, Shirota and Aiba, Watanabe and Furukawa, and Ryouma, Satoshi and Hamao together in one room.

Kyousuke woke up uneasily, feeling a bit queasy. "Why do I feel weird?" he asked before slowly opening his eyes. "...why the hell am I on a boat?" he asked in alarm as he saw through the window.

"What are you yapping-..." Satoshi, who had just woken up as well, stared at their whiny companion. "Kyou?"

"Satou?"

The two blinked at one another before looking over at Ryouma who was on another bed. "Baba-buchou?"

Ryouma looked up from his book and smiled at his two roommates. "Good morning~" he greeted with a light wave. "Glad to see you're both awake~"

Blinking and gathering his thoughts for a while, Satoshi frowned. "Oh yeah...cruise," he said before yawning. "Well, figured it out. I'm going back to sleep," he said.

"O-Oi chotto!" Kyousuke argued. "I don't understand a thing of what's going on!"

"Ask Baba-buchou!" Satoshi said as he threw a pillow at the Kikumaru hopeful.

"I didn't realize that you two knew each other," Ryouma observed as he watched them in amusement. "But to answer your question Kaa-san wanted to go on vacation and booked this cruise for us. And since you were staying with the Watanabe's you got dragged along~"

"Eeeeh? Is that even legal?" Kyousuke asked.

"Blame Baba-buchou's mother for that," Satoshi said sleepily. "He can throw his word around anywhere," he told him.

"Baba-buchou's mother?"

"Kimeru," Ryouma answered before turning to Satoshi. "And it's Takigawa now!" he added with a pout.

"You were Baba-buchou to us," Satoshi mumbled. "But sure, I'll call you Ree to make you feel better," he said smugly.

"Kimeru? As in _the_ KIMERU?" Kyousuke asked.

"Hey I still deserve some ounce of respect!" he argued over to Satoshi before turning to Kyousuke. "And yes, as in the singing sensation KIMERU," Ryouma confirmed.

"Ree-niisan," Satoshi bargained as he lifted his head from the pillow.

"B-B-B-B-But how did that happen?" Kyousuke asked before looking at Satoshi "And why are your parents acquainted with Kimeru?"

Satoshi smirked. "My parents are Shirota Yuu and Aiba Hiroki...of course they'd be 'acquainted' with Kimeru...they're close friends, remember?" he asked him.

"And my tou-san's Takigawa Eiji," Ryouma added for good measure.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?" Kyousuke said in shock. "I think I need some time to take this all in!" he told the two.

"Maa, shanaisuwa," Satoshi said with a shrug. "But instead of worrying about that why don't you take a load off and just enjoy the cruise?" he asked.

Ryouma nodded. "That would ruin the whole point of the cruise if you don't relax," he chided with a smile.

"A trip that Ree-niisan over there picked out," Satoshi pointed out as he snuggled back under his blankets.

"You don't have to flatter me over that decision Satoshi," Ryouma pointed out as he flipped open his book again.

"Wasn't flattering anybody," Satoshi said before falling asleep again.

Kyousuke looked at the two of them before gingerly getting up. "I'm...going to talk to the people who found me," he said before heading out.

"Hamao-kun~" Daisuke called, spotting him and jogging up to him. "Sorry, were you surprised?"

"You could say that..." Kyousuke said sheepishly as he looked at Daisuke. "B-But you know...you really didn't have to bring me along," he told him.

Furukawa smiled as he walked up to them. "Why not? It's a good chance to know one another since we'll be cast mates and all," he offered.

"Plus it would be a waste to offer you a place to stay and just leave you behind so suddenly," Daisuke added in explanation, nodding.

"I see..." Kyousuke said in understanding before looking at the two. "Well...thank you," he said with a bow.

Furukawa chuckled. "No need to thank us," he said as he patted Kyousuke on the head. "Come on now, let's go enjoy the many amenities that this ship has to offer~"

"I hear there's a bowling alley downst-" Daisuke was cut off when he spotted some familiar faces further down. "A-re? Isn't that... Ueshima-sensei and Konomi-sensei?" he identified.

"Why yes it is," Furukawa said with a smile. "You didn't know that they were coming with?" he asked.

"Yo, Watanabe-kun, Furukawa-kun," Konomi greeted with a wave as he held a bottle of beer with his other hand.

"Drinking again, sensei?" Furukawa asked.

"I couldn't get him away from the bar... unfortunately," Ueshima said with a groan before spotting a familiar face. "Ah, if it isn't Hamao-kun," he identified with a smile. "It's a surprise seeing you here."

"We brought him with us since he didn't have a place to stay~" Daisuke stated proudly.

"Really? For a second there I thought you already adop-ooof!" Cut off by a brief elbowing in the gut from Furukawa, the mangaka smiled sheepishly. "Will you look at that, I need more beer..." he simply said.

Ueshima glanced at them for a while before shaking his head, trying to change the topic as well. "We have our kids with us here too. Where they are I don't really know," the director intoned with a shrug.

"Doori-kun and Yuuya-kun, you mean?" Daisuke clarified.

As if on cue a round of chuckling was heard followed by water being dumped on the two senseis.

"Mada mada dane!" Doori called down to them from the upper level before exchanging high fives with Yuuya.

Pursing his lips, Ueshima brushed away the hair in his eyes before glaring up. "Wait here..." he muttered before trudging upstairs by use of the nearby stairs to reprimand the two.

"Yabbe! Oyaji's on his way! Ruuuuun!" Doori yelled as he bolted away with his brother in tow.

Daisuke blinked before chuckling. "You alright sensei?" he asked the mangaka.

Konomi chuckled. "More than fine actually. Those two had been trying hard to get Yukio to loosen up a bit more," he said fondly. "You saw him smirking as he trudged up there, didn't you?" he asked.

Daisuke nodded in affirmation before watching Ueshima chase after his sons. "At least he's indulging them.

"What's all this, what's all this?" Shirota beamed, moving up to the small group with the help of some crutches, smiling.

"We were watching Ueshima-sensei get drenched before chasing after some pranksters," Furukawa said with a grin before patting Kyousuke who was beside him.

"Why don't we all go to the dining hall? I'm hungry," Aiba commented.

"Breakfast~ Breakfast~ Breakfast~" Shirota cheered.

"If it's food, Shirotan seems to be the loudest," Takigawa remarked with a smirk as he and Kimeru walked up to them. "Where's Ree and Satoshi?"

"Those two are still in the room," Kyousuke said as he pointed at the door behind him.

Kimeru nodded. "I'll get them," he said as he walked over to the door and knocked. "Ree! Wake Satoshi up for us. Breakfast is ready," he called out.

-break-

From the upper deck, Doori jumped down, Yuuya following a few seconds later. "That was dangerous," Doori said and Yuuya nodded in agreement as they looked at one another.

"Let's do it again!" they both said enthusiastically.

"Oh no you don't," Konomi said as he caught the two by the collar of their shirts.

"Ah! We're caught!" Yuuya said as he squirmed.

Ueshima looked down from the upper deck and sighed in relief. "Don't... make me do that again..." he muttered, catching his breath.

Konomi grinned as he pulled the boys away, "Let's go boys. If you be good from here on, Yukio might just let you have dessert or seconds."

"Might?" Doori and Yuuya asked in disbelief.

"The water was cold," Ueshima remarked, glancing over to his sons in warning.

-break-

"Haaai~" Ryouma replied from inside, marking his book and moved to Satoshi, promptly taking a pillow and hit the younger with it. "Wake up! Breakfast is ready!"

"Aaaah! Don't make me lose respect in you!" Satoshi said before throwing a pillow back at Ryouma. "I'm up!" he said before sighing and promptly attempted to flatten his hair that were sticking out in every direction.

Ryouma quickly side-stepped and opened the door. "Come on, we'll be out of food because of your dad if you take your time," he warned with a grin.

-break-

"Breakfast breakfast breakfast~" Shirota chimed, leading the pack to the dining area.

"Shirotan, you'll trip going that fast," Takigawa scolded.

-break-

"We got it from the pool," Yuuya admitted sheepishly.

"If we say that despite our pranking we love you very much, will we be allowed to get seconds?" Doori asked.

As if considering this for a moment, Ueshima opened his mouth before closing it again. "I'll think about it," he said in conclusion before walking ahead of them.

_'That did it,'_ Konomi thought as he spotted a smile on the director's face as he passed them.

Furukawa chuckled. "The many perks of having kids, desu ne?" he asked.

"You have kids too, Furukawa-senpai?" Kyousuke asked.

"Unfortunately, we don't have any yet," Furukawa answered.

"When we haven't even gotten formally married yet too," Daisuke added sheepishly.

Ryouma walked up behind them and raised an eyebrow. "You haven't yet?" he asked incredulously.

"But you seem like the most married of them all," Satoshi commented with a frown.

"Well, setting that aside, having kids like the Takigawa's and the Shirota's is a very welcoming idea," Furukawa told them.

Daisuke nodded in agreement. "A very welcome one," he added before taking Yun by the hand. "Off to the food before Shirotan finishes the first round!" he said, leading the rest of the group to the dining area.

-break-

"Shirota, that's too much chocolate syrup!" Ueshima scolded from across the table.

"Listen to him, Yuu. He's the director!" Aiba said as he watched Shirota continue to pour chocolate on his pancakes. "Yuu!"

Shirota pouted before ceasing his squeezing and set the syrup bottle right side up. "Fiiiine," he complained, pursing his lips.

Takigawa shook his head. "That guy's love for chocolate hasn't changed one bit," he remarked as he cut up his pancakes thoughtfully.

"Listen to those older than you, Shirotan," Konomi said as he looked at his two boys who were looking down mournfully on their pancakes.

"Hai hai," Shirota said with a frown, muttering as he began slicing his chocolate smeared pancakes.

"What's wrong?" Konomi asked their sons.

"We really can't get seconds?" Yuuya asked.

"Ask your Tou-san," Konomi said and the two boys turned their attention to Ueshima.

Ueshima glanced at the two. "As long as you don't overdo it with the chocolate fine," he reassured them.

"Yosha!" Doori and Yuuya cheered before getting up from the table to get more pancakes.

"You really can't stay mad at them for long, can you?" Kimeru teased.

"It's the puppy eyes that get to me," Ueshima admitted as he turned to Shirota who was forlornly poking his pancakes.

Takigawa shrugged. "Just be thankful there's chocolate syrup at all Shirotan," he consoled.

"So if I use my stash then it's okay?" Shirota asked suddenly.

Resisting the urge to facepalm, Kimeru sighed. "Alright then Shirotan. Just make sure you drink a lot of water after," he conceded.

"Yosh~" Shirota beamed, getting up and making his way back to his and Aiba's room as quickly as he could to retrieve his chocolate sauce while chanting "Chocolate~" as he went.

Daisuke blinked as he watched Shirota go. "Does he really insist having _that_ much chocolate on his pancakes?" he asked Aiba in curiosity.

"You don't know half of it," Aiba said with a groan.

"Well in any case this would be the perfect time to announce the activities we'll be doing while we're here," Takigawa stated off-handedly, turning to Kimeru with a smile. "Ne?"

"Activities?" Ryouma repeated.

"Mhmm~" Kimeru said with a grin. "There'll be a band that will be performing tonight for one," he told them.

"Which band?" Kyousuke asked eagerly.

"Setsugekka," the singer said with a grin. "They're an acting troupe actually, but they broadened their scope so I thought I'd invite them," he told the rest. "And there'll be a singing contest later by the poolside," he added.

"I'm in~" Furukawa said immediately.

"Aaaah!" A crash was heard as Shirota tripped coming back into the dining area.

Takigawa got off his chair. "Shirotan are you alright?" he asked quickly.

Hearing the crash as well, Satoshi was the first to bolt toward his father. "Tou-san!" he called out in concern.

"Looks like Satoshi-kun's already adapted," Ueshima observed when he watched him sprint over to help Shirota up.

"I'm okay," Shirota said with a faint nod.

Nodding in understanding, Satoshi gingerly helped Yuu to the table.

"What happened?" Aiba asked.

"I tripped..." Shirota answered sheepishly, holding up a bottle and shyly grinned. "But I saved the chocolate syrup~" he said in consolation.

"I suddenly feel guilty for telling you that you can't finish the stash that we have here," Kimeru said before spotting a few people coming in the dining hall. "Oh look, Setsugekka's here," he said as he raised a hand. "Shinya!" he called out.

The smallest of the group, heard his name being called and looked around. Smiling at recognizing who it was, he excused himself from the group and headed over to the other table.

"People, attention please. I'd like to introduce a good friend of mine. Matsumoto Shinya," Kimeru said.

"He's pretty..." Satoshi said offhandedly, causing Kyousuke to nudge him. "I-I mean...yeah..." Satoshi covered up as he turned his attention back to the food.

"It's no problem, I get it all the time," Shinya said with a smile. "Oh, hi Eiji-san," he greeted as he waved at the taller man.

Takigawa raised a hand and waved in response.

Shirota was half-listening and occupying himself smearing his pancakes with a bit more chocolate. "Itadakimasu~" he said before feasting.

Ryouma chuckled. "Shirotan will never change it seems," he observed before turning to Shinya and nodded. "Yoroshiku~"

"A-ra, more people from Mitsukaru," Shinya noted with a smile as he looked at them all. "Which ones are yours?" he asked.

"Just Ree," Kimeru stated as he pointed at his son. "Speaking of, who was that kid you brought along?" he asked.

"Oh yes, give me a second," Shinya said before looking over his shoulder, "Yuya! Can you come over here, please?" he asked. "That's Matsushita Yuya. He's been crashing with me for a few weeks now. He's an artist but I haven't found an agency to hire him," Shinya said as he placed an arm over Yuya's shoulder. "Say Hi, Yuya~"

Yuya smiled and feebly bowed. "Yoroshiku," he greeted with a bow.

"Hey wait a minute..." Daisuke said, furrowing his brow and pointed at him. "Didn't you... join the band club during our senior year?" he asked him suddenly.

Yuya straightened up and blinked. "Eh? Boku?" he asked, pointing at himself.

"I'm surprised that you don't remember," Furukawa said with a chuckle. "You were the vocalist after Kime and I left," he reminded him.

Kyousuke nodded. "You were also my classmate," he added. "Don't you remember me...Yuya-nii?" he asked playfully.

Yuya blinked at both Furukawa and Kyousuke before settling his gaze on Kyousuke. "A-re... Kyou-chan," he identified before looking around again. "And Satou-chan too!" he said.

"It became difficult for the school band with four members during our senior year," Shirota remembered thoughtfully.

Aiba nodded. "You were the vocalist, ne?" he confirmed.

Kyousuke smirked. "You were always at the studio during breaks," he commented. "And you were always in correspondence with Furukawa-senpai until graduation," he added. "You were affectionately calling him Kaa-san then right? The same way I called you Yuya-nii."

Yuya nodded at Aiba before his cheeks started to redden at Kyousuke's banter, stealing a glance over to Furukawa and quickly looked away. "T-That was because he was the one who helped me out a lot when I first joined the band club!" he argued feebly.

"So you're the 'Kaa-san' Yuya has been telling me about," Shinya said with a smile as he nudged Yuya towards Furukawa. "Say, would you mind taking him in?" he asked suddenly. "I've been going around on tours and I tend to leave him alone for long periods of time," he explained. "I'd be more at ease if he's with someone he knows and can watch out for him."

"Tours?" Kimeru asked. "You mean you're still looking for _him_, Shinya?"

Smile turning into a sadder one, Shinya nodded.

"Looking for who?" Aiba asked.

-break-

"Eh? But... Shin-nii!" Yuya began to protest but quieted down when Daisuke patted him on the shoulder.

"Relax, we don't bite," Daisuke chided.

Takigawa glanced at Shinya before crossing his arms and leaned back. "I wonder why you didn't bother asking me for help, Matsumoto-kun," he remarked. "Considering I was under him for a time, more so Moriyama."

"Who are we talking about here?" Ryouma asked.

"Taisuke Saeki, Shinya's boyfriend that disappeared after graduation," Kimeru said as he crossed his arms and pulled Shinya to sit down beside him as Kyousuke did the same to Yuya.

Shinya sighed. "I just want to know how he is...even if he has no intention to be with me again," he said sadly.

Furukawa looked at him consolingly. "But, Eiji..._do_ you have any info about him?"

"I highly doubt that that's his reason for not coming to see you," Takigawa explained, cleaning his ear out distractedly.

"So you _do_ know where he is," Shirota accused.

"Roughly, yes. Moriyama and I have a bad habit of keeping tabs on people," he reasoned out before pulling out his phone. "Give me a few minutes to make a phone call. Excuse me." Getting to his feet, Takigawa walked out to have a private phone conversation with Moriyama.

"Eiji don't waste credits!" Kimeru called out. "Moriyama's on the deck with his hubby!" he told him.

"Kime-nii...just who exactly are with us?" Aiba asked.

"Just us and the Moriyamas," Kimeru answered with a grin.

"He's not wasting credits~" Moriyama chimed, coming inside with Yanagi in tow, just getting off the phone. "He's calling one of our intel for information," he explained.

"Moriyama-senpai~" greeted Shirota with a wave of his hand.

"Intel meaning Nakagauchi, I assume," Aiba commented.

"Him and one other," Moriyama said cheekily.

"Who's the other one?" Shirota asked curiously, furrowing his brows.

"Baba Toru of course," the Momoshiro actor said with a grin.

"Ah yes, the Platinum pair," Ueshima noted.

-break-

Yuya looked around and decided to converse with Kyousuke. "So... I assume you're staying with Kaa-sa-Furukawa-senpai?" he asked him.

Kyousuke, in the meantime, tuned off the adult conversation and nodded. "For the meantime yes," he told him. "They saved me from starvation yesterday," he said sheepishly.

Yuya frowned. "Eh? Starvation? Why?" he asked in alarm.

"I've been wandering," Kyousuke said vaguely before looking over at Shinya who was seemingly getting more down by the minute. "What's wrong with your friend?" he asked Yuya.

Before Yuya could answer, Takigawa strolled back inside. "Got the info," he said triumphantly. "It cost me a box of Frosties though," he remarked off-handedly before turning to Shinya. "Surprisingly enough, Taisuke-senpai is on this cruise as well as we speak," he informed him with a smile.

"Really?" Kimeru and Shinya asked together, one skeptical while the other unsure.

"I don't remember inviting anyone else on the cruise unless he was part of the cruise package," Kimeru commented.

Shinya, in the meantime, didn't know how to react as he suddenly felt cold. _'He's here...he's here...oh gosh, what do I do?'_ he asked himself.

"Then you should probably blame it on the fact that you told the senseis about the cruise," Takigawa suggested.

Ueshima quickly pointed at the mangaka, as if blaming him for this sudden change of events.

"I didn't even know the guy!" Konomi commented as he raised his hands. "Don't blame me!"

Furukawa chuckled at this. "Hai hai...then let's go scout around for him after breakfast?" he offered.

"I think I'd point the finger at Ueshima-sensei!" Shirota accused playfully, pointing at the director.

"Why am I the culprit?" the director asked in defense.

"Since you're Mitsukaru's legendary teacher who knows all about the relationships that came and went," Ryouma explained. "So naturally you'd know about Taisuke-senpai and Matsumoto-senpai as well."

"I was about to say the same thing," Moriyama said with a nod.

"If anything I'd say it's Yun," Aiba said as he looked at the singer. "I mean if something weird or unexplainable happens it's usually his fault isn't it?" he reasoned out.

Furukawa chuckled. "Sorry, but it's not me this time no matter how much I want to take credit for it."

"And I'm telling you it's not me," Ueshima insisted with a pout.

"Then who is it?" Shirota asked, looking around.

"The best way to go about that is to go out and search out Taisuke-senpai, don't you agree?" Moriyama suggested playfully.

"We don't even know how he looks like!" came the answer of the lower batches.

Kimeru chuckled. "That's expected. He was a senior when I was a freshman," he told Moriyama before looking at Shinya who had gone pale. "O-Oi! Shinya, you okay?" he asked in alarm.

"I don't...really know," Shinya answered shakily.

"You need some fresh air," Takigawa suggested. "Since everyone's done with breakfast we can start that man hunt for him around this big ship."

"But most of us don't know what he even looks like," Shirota remarked with a frown.

"I have a feeling we don't really need to look for him anyway," Furukawa said with a chuckle before watching Kimeru help Shinya up.

"I'll just take him to the deck," Kimeru told them. "Call us if you spot him!" he told the rest before heading out.

"I'll accompany you," Takigawa volunteered, following after the two.

"So that means we can stay and have dessert?" Ueshima inquired over to Furukawa.

"Yes we can," Furukawa said with a smile before spotting Doori and Yuuya finally coming back to the table.

"What did we miss?" Doori asked.

-break-

Outside the hall, Kimeru along with the other two made their way to the deck.

A familiar man was leaning against the railings and enjoying the breeze when he heard footsteps approaching. Turning to the group, he grinned and adjusted his sunglasses. "Yo~" Taisuke Saeki greeted before pulling off his spectacles. "It took a while but we finally meet again... Shin," he said endearingly. Spotting Takigawa, he smirked. "By the way, thanks for the invite Takigawa-kun~"

Takigawa nodded. "My pleasure, Taisuke-senpai."

_'Interesting,'_ Kimeru thought with a chuckle as he felt his friend take a few hesitant steps forward.

"T-Taisuke-senpai?" Shinya asked, unsure. "Is...Is it really..." he trailed off as he felt tears start to form in his eyes.

Stepping up to Shinya, Saeki placed a hand on his head. "Aa, it's me. So don't waste your tears on me," he scolded lightly before pulling him into an embrace.

Taking this as a cue, Takigawa excused him and Kimeru from the pair and headed back to the dining area.

"You've been gone for years and you expect me to stop crying?" Shinya demanded before clutching onto the back of Saeki's shirt. "I...I...I missed you so much!"

Saeki smiled sheepishly and rubbed Shinya's back soothingly. "I apologize for the long absence. I'm just glad knowing you never stopped looking for me," he said quietly.

Shinya sniffled a bit, wiping his tears away with his arm before he looked up at Saeki again. "T-that's because I promised to..." he said as he sniffled a bit. "I promised that I'd go to you after I graduate from Mitsukaru but you...you...you didn't even tell me where you went after..."

"I got called away," Saeki admitted. "My career sort of launched from my exposure with the Drama club and got offers to do plays," he explained. "I've been busy ever since..."

"And you never got the time to tell me?" Shinya asked, almost angrily as he took a step back. "Even a letter? A phonecall?" he listed down in frustration. "Taisuke-senpai...what am I to you anyway if you couldn't even find the time to tell me about what's going on?"

"The reason I kept away from you was because I was ashamed..." Saeki stated seriously, looking away and leaned forward on the railings. "Don't get me wrong Shin... Back when we were in Mitsukaru I had nothing but feelings of love for you. But... if I wanted to continue being with you years after that, then I had to make sure that I would be able to do everything for us..." Clenching his fists, Saeki slowly turned back to Shinya. "So I worked my butt off these past years to make sure that when I asked you, I could give you the whole world and more." He paused before fumbling in his pockets and pulled out a box and got down to one knee. "So that when I saw you again I could ask you without any doubt on my mind." Popping open the box, he looked up at Shinya hopefully. "Will you... marry me?"

Stunned beyond words, Shinya found himself staring at Saeki. Slowly, his senses came back to him and a smile appeared on his lips. "Y-Yes..." he said shakily before nodding. "Yes...of course I'll marry you," he answered.

With a smile, Saeki took the ring from the box and slipped it onto Shinya's left ring finger and got to his feet and promptly kissed him.

-break-

From the sides, Takigawa nodded. "About time," he muttered.

Kimeru nodded and leaned onto his husband, "Cute, aren't they?" he asked before chuckling.

Takigawa nodded before carrying Kimeru bridal style, pecking him on the lips. "I think that was why they were crowned Prom King and Queen," he remarked with a smirk.

"Yes, the whole student body was so surprised that Shinya actually dressed up as a girl then," Kimeru said with a chuckle, nuzzling Eiji. "I wonder if I can make him do it again."

"Of course you could," Takigawa said with a grin. "But for now I don't want to think about that and want some quality time with you in the jacuzzi," he said playfully before carrying his husband away.

"I like that idea," Kimeru said with a grin before kissing Takigawa.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED. :D

We look forward to your reviews and possible suggestions. :)


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